ALDINE LANGUAGE SERIES 



ALDINE SECOND 
LANGUAGE BOOK 



BRYCE AND SPAULDING 





Class T> F J) 1 1 
GDpyrigfitU ____i3U 

CfiEffilGHT DEPOSIR 



ALDINE 
SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

FOR 

GRADES FIVE AND SIX 
With Selections for Memorizing 

BY 

CATHERINE T. BRYCE 

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. 

AND 

FRANK E. SPAULDING 

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, CLEVELAND, OHIO 



WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY 
ADA BUDELL 



NEWSON & COMPANY 
NEW YORK 



n 



H • -. ,< <*, * 



?E I'M 



Copyright, 1913, 1917, by 
NEWSON & COMPANY. 



All rights reserved 

N. Y. ED. 

(I) 




MAY 26 !9i7 



vQ)CI.A467178 



PREFACE 

This book is strictly a pupil's book ; every page 
and paragraph of it is addressed to the pupil ; it is 
written in language that the pupil can understand. It 
represents the carefully prepared result of many years' 
experience in teaching scores of classes of all kinds of 
children. 

The Manual which accompanies this book is strictly 
a teacher's book ; it is addressed to the teacher through- 
out ; it explains in detail the purpose of every exercise 
in this, the pupil's book, gives careful directions con- 
cerning the most effective ways of conducting the 
various exercises, and is filled with practical suggestions 
calculated to make language teaching not only suc- 
cessful but a delight to teacher and pupil. Like the 
pupil's book, the teacher's Manual is the outgrowth 
of many years of experience in helping hundreds of 
teachers to make their work effective. 

This pupil's book does three essential things. First, 
it furnishes and suggests a veritable feast of rich, varied, 
and wholesome material such as the interests and im- 
agination of normally growing children crave. This 
material is peculiarly suited to expression in language, 
both oral and written. Indeed, much of it has served 
classic writers over and over for generations and ages ; 



in 



IV 



PREFACE 



such are the proverbs and fables, myths, fairy tales, 
and legends, in prose and verse. Equally interesting 
and valuable as material for expression are the true 
stories and the real experiences whose significance the 
children are taught to appreciate. 

Secondly, this book makes clear and really interest- 
ing to children the significance of the language forms 
which give effective expression to the material. Hence, 
they learn really to appreciate the importance of cor- 
rectness and fitness of expression, — the importance, 
not only of correct spelling, capitalization, and punc- 
tuation, but of discriminating choice and arrangement 
of words and expressions, and of the orderly and 
impressive presentation of ideas. 

Thirdly, material and form are so presented as to 
awaken the desire and to arouse the ambition of the 
child to express in correct, beautiful, and effective form 
the fruits of his own experience, imagination, and 
thought. Hence, children become eager to write of 
their own experiences, perhaps in the form of a story, 
perhaps in that of a letter ; to explain clearly some- 
thing, as a game, with which they are familiar ; to give 
reasons for a judgment or an opinion. Not less eagerly 
do they attempt — and often with surprising success — 
the invention of original proverbs, myths, fairy tales, 
and fables. 

Here we have, then, the beginnings of literary ap- 
preciation and of literary production, using the term 
" literary " in a broad sense. But even more impor- 
tant than these beginnings are the sure promises for the 



PREFACE v 

future ; pupils become intensely interested in what 
others have expressed in language and in the way that 
they have expressed it ; they become ambitious to ex- 
press themselves ; they acquire a natural and justifiable 
confidence in their ability to observe and to think and 
to express the results of their observation and thought 
clearly and effectively. All these promises warrant 
the expectation of continued growth in thought and 
language power. 

The manner in which material, forms of expression, 
and pupils 1 exercises have been employed to bring 
about these results can be fully appreciated only by a 
careful study of the book itself and the teacher's 
Manual, which should always accompany this book's 
use. The table of contents following, how T ever, is 
suggestive of material, plan, and method. 

Acknowledgments are here cheerfully made to 
authors and publishers who have kindly permitted the 
use in this book of their copyrighted material. 

The selections from Tarr and McMurry's Geog- 
raphies are used by permission of the publishers, The 
Macmillan Company ; the poem, " The Flag Goes 
By," is used by permission of the author, Henry Hol- 
comb Bennett ; the brief selections from Lucy Larcom, 
Alice Cary, Olive Thorne Miller, John Burroughs, 
Lowell, Longfellow, and Whittier are used by per- 
mission of and by arrangement with Houghton Mifflin 
Company, authorized publishers of the works of these 
writers. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER ONE. OBSERVING, THINKING, AND 
EXPRESSING THOUGHT ORALLY 

SECTION PAGE 

I. Two Stories to Study 1 

II. Trying to Describe Familiar Things . . . . 4 

III. How to Describe a Thing Well 4 



CHAPTER TWO. ABOUT SENTENCES, CAPITALS, 
AND CERTAIN MARKS OF PUNCTUATION 

I. The Sentence 8 

II. Making Sentences 12 

III. Sentences : Statements, Questions, and Exclamations 12 

IV. A Story to Study 15 

V. Dictation .17 

VI. Correcting Dictation — With the Teacher ... 17 

VII. Statements, Questions, and Exclamations ... 17 

VIII. Writing Titles . 19 

IX. Things to Remember 21 

CHAPTER THREE. READING, DRAMATIZING, AND 
REPRODUCING A STORY 

I. Reading and Studying a Story 22 

II. Getting Ready to Dramatize the Story of " Harmosan " 25 

III. Dramatizing the Story 26 

IV. Reproducing the Story Orally 26 

V. Finding Different Kinds of Sentences •. . .26 

VI. Writing Original Sentences 27 

vii 



viii CONTENTS 

CHAPTER FOUR. MEMORY GEMS 

SECTION PAGE 

I. The Value of Memory Gems 28 

II. Learning a Memory Gem 32 

III. Reciting Memory Gems 33 

IV. Writing a Memory Gem 33 

V. Preparing Original Descriptions 33 

VI. Giving Original Descriptions 34 

CHAPTER FIVE. FABLE, DIALOGUE, AND NARRA- 
TIVE; APOSTROPHE, COMMA, AND QUOTATIONS 

I. Quotations and the Apostrophe 35 

II. How to Study the Story, "The Hunter and the 

Lion" 37 

III. Writing the Story of " The Hunter and the Lion " 

from Dictation . . 40 

IV. Correcting Dictation 40 

V. A Written Test without Help from the Teacher . 42 

VI. Studying a Dialogue 44 

VII. Writing a Narrative from a Dialogue ... 47 

VIII. Unstudied Dictation 48 

IX. Writing Contractions 48 

CHAPTER SIX. STUDYING AND WRITING FABLES 

I. A Fable to Study . .51 

II. Writing the Fable of " The Donkey and the Race 

Horse" from Dictation ...... 53 

III. Correcting the Dictation 53 

IV. Making Original Fables 53 

V. Writing an Original Fable . . . . . .55 

VI. Enlarging a Paragraph 56 

VII. Enlarging a Part of a Story 57 

VIII. Rewriting a Fable 58 

IX. Writing a Fable — "The Ant and the Snail" . . 59 



CONTENTS ix 

CHAPTER SEVEN. PICTURE STORIES 

SECTION PAGE 

I. Stories from Pictures 60 

IL More Picture Stories ■. 64 

III. Still More Picture Stories 68 

IV. Writing a Picture Story 68 

V. Reading Picture Stories 68 

VI. Correcting and Copying Picture Stories ... 68 



CHAPTER EIGHT. RHYMES ; WRITTEN REPRODUC- 
TIONS ; QUOTATIONS AND CAPITALS 

I. Studying a Fable in Rhyme .70 

II. Oral Reproduction of the Fable 73 

III. Writing the Story, "The Ant and the Cricket " . 73 

IV. How Names are Written . . . . . .75 

V. Writing Studied Dictation 76 

VI. Correcting Dictation 76 

VII. Writing Direct Quotations .76 

VIII. Things to Remember 77 



CHAPTER NINE. DRAMATIZING, PLAY WRITING, 
DESCRIPTIONS, ORIGINAL STORIES 

I. Studying a Story 78 

II. Dramatizing the Story, " The Two Merchants " . . 82 

III. Reproducing the Story Orally 82 

IV. Writing a Play 82 

V. Studying Descriptions . . . . . . .84 

VI. Oral Descriptions 92 

VII. Written Descriptions 93 

VIII. Telling an Original Story 93 

IX. Writing Original Stories 95 

X. Writing Stories from Suggestions 95 



x CONTENTS 

CHAPTER TEN. MONTHS, DAYS, DATES, ABBRE- 
VIATIONS, LETTER WRITING 

SECTION PAGE 

I. The Months 96 

II. Memorizing a Quotation 100 

III. Writing a Quotation. . . 101 

IV. The Months and Their Abbreviations .... 101 
V. Names of Days and Their Abbreviations . . . 102 

VI. Some Dates in American History ..... 102 

VII. Writing Dates from Dictation 103 

VIII. Walter's Letter 103 

IX. Frank's Letter 106 

X. Correcting Letters . 108 

XI. Things to Remember 108 

CHAPTER ELEVEN. TRUE STORIES, COMPOSITIONS, 
LETTERS, POSSESSIVES 

I. True Stories 109 

II. Telling True Stories 112 

III. Writing a True Story -112 

IV. When I Grow Up — A Study Lesson . . . . 112 
V. When I Grow Up — A Written Lesson .... 114 

VI. "The Wishing Bridge" 114 

VII. The Apostrophe . . . 115 

VIII. Two Uses of the Apostrophe . ... . . . 117 

IX. Study of Selection 118 

X. Writing from Dictation 119 

XI. Correcting Written Dictation 119 

XII. Grandfather's Letter 119 

XIII. Answering Grandfather's Letter 120 

XIV. Correcting Letters 121 

XV. Writing Original Letters 121 

CHAPTER TWELVE. PICTURE STORIES 

I. Making Stories from a Picture 123 

II. More Picture Stories 126 



CONTENTS xi 

SECTION PAGE 

III. Still More Picture Stories . 128 

IV. Writing a Picture Story 130 

V. Correcting and Copying Picture Stories . . . 130 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. PARAGRAPHS ; TOPICAL OUT- 
LINES ; ORIGINAL STORIES ; LETTERS; PUNCTUATION 

I. The Paragraph 131 

II. Making Paragraph Topics 134 

III. Learning to Recognize Paragraphs by their Contents 135 

IV. Oral Reproductions from Original Outlines . . 136 
V. Written Reproductions from Original Outlines . 138 

VI. An Original Story from a Given Outline . . . 138 

VII. Writing Original Stories from Original Outlines . 139 

VIII. Words in a Series . 141 

IX. Supplying Commas . 143 

X. Uses of Commas — A Review 143 

XI. Writing Original Sentences 144 

XII. A Letter 145 

XIII. Writing a Letter 146 

XIV. The Conversation Paragraph 148 

XV. Writing an Original Conversation .... 149 

XVI. Unstudied Dictation — A Test 150 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN. ABOUT DESCRIPTIONS AND 
LETTERS ; NOUNS, PRONOUNS, ADJECTIVES ; 
THEIR CHOICE AND USE 

I. Studying a Description 151 

II. Writing a Description . . . . . . . 154 

III. Nouns : Common and Proper 156 

IV. Choosing Nouns that Fit 159 

V. Selecting Nouns to Avoid Repetition .... 161 

VI. The Pronoun 163 

VII. Adjectives . 167 

VIII. Comparisons 168 



xii CONTENTS 

SECTION PAGE 

IX. Descriptions of People 171 

X. Writing a Description of a Person .... 177 

XI. Reading and Criticising Descriptions .... 178 

XII. Selecting Adjectives 178 

XIII. A Letter Containing a Description .... 182 

XIV. Testing Descriptions 183 

XV. Descriptions to Express Beauty 183 

XVI. Descriptions to Make Clear 183 

XVII. A Review 184 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN. POEMS, COMPOSITIONS; VERBS, 

ADVERBS 

I. A Poem to Study 186 

II. The Flag 190 

III. Memorizing the Poem, "The Flag Goes By" . . 190 

IV. Verbs 190 

V. Finding Verbs 194 

VI. Variety in the Use of Verbs 195 

VII. Selecting Suitable Verbs 196 

VIII. Writing a Description 196 

IX. Some Troublesome Verbs 197 

X. Verbs often Misused : Lie, Lay, Sit, Set . . . . 199 

XI. Shall or Will ? 200 

XII. May and Can 202 

XIII. Adverbs : Their Use as Modifiers of Verbs . . 203 

XIV. Selecting Suitable Adverbs 205 

XV. Other Uses of Adverbs 206 

XVI. Some Adverbs that are often Misused . . . 207 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN. PICTURE STORIES 

I. Making Stories from a Picture 209 

II. More Picture Stories 212 

III. Still More Picture Stories 214 

IV. Writing a Picture Story. ...... 216 



CONTENTS xiii 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. ABOUT PREPOSITIONS, CON- 
JUNCTIONS, INTERJECTIONS: WHAT THEY ARE 
AND HOW TO USE THEM 

SECTION PAGE 

I. Prepositions 217 

II. Studying Prepositions 220 

III. Some Prepositions that are often Misused . . . 221 

IV. Using Prepositions 224 

V. Conjunctions 225 

VI. Combining Sentences 227 

VII. Combining Sentences in a Story . . . . . 228 

VIII. Written Reproduction 229 

IX. Interjections 229 

X. Expressing Feelings through the Use of Interjections 231 

XI. Review of Parts of Speech 233 

XII. Studying a Poet's Choice of Words .... 234 

XIII. Reading the Poem 238 

XIV. Memorizing the Poem 239 

XV. Reciting the Poem 239 

XVI. W T RITING THE POEM FROM MEMORY 239 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. ABOUT FABLES AND PROVERBS 

I. Studying a Fable 240 

II. Telling Original Fables 242 

III. Writing Original Fables 244 

IV. More Fables to Study 244 

V. Writing from Dictation " The Farmer and the Bird " 246 

VI. Telling Original Fables 246 

VII. Writing Original Fables 247 

VIII. A Story to Finish 248 

IX. What are Proverbs? 248 

X. Origin of Proverbs 250 

XL Application of Proverbs 253 

XII. Making Proverb Stories 255 

XIII. Writing Proverb Stories ... ... 256 



XIV 



CONTENTS 



SECTION PAGE 

XIV. Writing Proverbs from Memory 257 

XV. A Letter 257 



CHAPTER NINETEEN. ABOUT CLASSIC, MODERN, 
AND ORIGINAL MYTHS AND FAIRY TALES; 
TRUE STORIES AND QUOTATIONS 

I. Myths: Their Origin . . . . . . . 259 

II. A Myth to Study 262 

III. Another Use of the Comma 264 

IV. Rewriting a Myth 266 

V. Modern Myths 266 

VI. Making Original Tree Myths 269 

VII. Subjects for Original Tree Myths .... 271 

VIII. Making More Myths 271 

IX. Subjects for Original Flower Myths . . . 272 

X. Subjects for Original Bird Myths . . . . 273 

XL Subjects for Original Beast Myths .... 273 

XII. Writing an Original Myth 274 

XIII. How Great Writers Refer to Myths .... 274 

XIV. Memorizing a Quotation 278 

XV. The Truth of Fairy Tales 278 

XVI. The Meaning in Fairy Tales 281 

XVII. Memorizing and Writing a Quotation . . . 287 

XVIII. A Story to Finish 287 

XIX. Writing an Original Ending to a Story . . . 289 



CHAPTER TWENTY. PICTURE STORIES 

I. Making Stories from a Picture 290 

II. Telling Stories from a Picture 294 

III. More Picture Stories 294 

IV. Still More Picture Stories . . . . . . 298 



CONTENTS xv 

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE. ABOUT EXPLANATIONS 
AND REASONS; WRITING FROM DIFFERENT 
VIEWPOINTS; LETTERS 

SECTION PAGE 

I. Studying an Explanation 300 

II. Writing an Explanation 302 

III. Testing Explanations 303 

IV. Two Views of the Same Thing 303 

V. Different Points of View 305 

VI. Answering Criticisms 305 

VII. Writing a Story 306 

VIII. A Letter 306 

IX. How to Do Things 306 

X. Giving Reasons 307 

XL Newspaper Headings 308 

XII. One-Minute Stories 309 

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO. MATERIAL FOR SUPPLE- 
MENTARY WORK AND REVIEWS 

I. Stories for Study, Dictation, and Reproduction . 310 

II. Stories to Finish . . . . + . . 312 

III. Subjects for Other Stories . . . . . . 314 

IV. Titles for Myths 314 

V. Letters 315 

VI. The Use of Capitals 323 

VII. Uses of Punctuation Marks 324 

VIII. The Parts of Speech . 326 



ALDINE 
SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

CHAPTER ONE 

OBSERVING, THINKING, AND EXPRESSING THOUGHT 

ORALLY 

I. TWO STORIES TO STUDY 
The Simple Traveler 

A simple lad who had lived all his days in a little 
valley once made up his mind to see the world. With 
high hopes he set out on his travels. As he climbed 
the mountain north of the village, his friends and 
neighbors stood watching him, that they might wave a 
final good-by before he disappeared on the farther 
side. When the lad reached the top of the mountain, 
he turned and waved his cap to his friends ; then he 
set his face again towards the north. 

Suddenly the youthful traveler stopped. He stared 
straight before him for a moment, then turned and ran 
leaping down the mountain towards the village. The 
wondering people hurried out to meet him. When 
he came within sound of their voices, they called to 
him : " Why have you returned ? " " Why did you 
go no farther ? " 

" O friends ! " he gasped, " I had to come back. 



2 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

A great piece of the blue sky has fallen and is lying in 
the valley beyond the mountain. I could not walk 
over the sky." 

Then how the people laughed ! 

" Why do you laugh ? What I tell you is true," 
cried the boy, surprised and beginning to be angry. 

" No, lad," answered an old man at last, " what you 
tell us is not true. What you saw was not a piece 
fallen from the sky ; it was only an image of the blue 
sky mirrored in the waters of the lake that lies at the 
foot of the mountain." 

— A Swiss Legend 

The Sailor's Story 

A Greek sailor was once on board a fishing vessel 
that spent some hours cruising along the Pacific coast 
of the United States. From the ship he saw but few 
people — not more than three or four — on the shore. 
Two of these people chanced to be cripples. On his 
return to his own country he told his friends that there 
were very few people in the United States and that 
most of them were cripples. 

Did the lad tell the truth about what he saw 
beyond the mountain ? 

Did the sailor tell the truth about the people 
of the United States ? 

Did either one mean to tell what was not 
true ? 



TWO STORIES TO STUDY • 3 

What was the matter in each case ? 

Suppose the lad, instead of turning back and 
hurrying home to tell of the fallen sky, had 
gone on until he came to the edge of what he 
thought was sky. He might not have known 
the name lake, and he might still have had to 
return ; but he would then have been able to 
describe truly what it was that stopped his fur- 
ther travels. 

Imagine yourself that boy. Go down the far 
side of the mountain to the lake ; find that you 
can go no farther ; learn all you can about the 
lake that stops you ; return to your home on 
the other side of the mountain ; and then de- 
scribe to your friends what you saw, what you 
came upon that made you turn back. You 
might begin something like this : 

As I began to descend the far side of the mountain, 
I saw something glistening in the sunshine away down 
in the valley. It spread out, smooth and level, from 
the foot of the mountain to the base of the mountains 
beyond. It was bright blue like the sky ; white clouds 
were floating in it. 

Complete your description with the discover- 
ies you make as you draw nearer to the water. 
Try to make your description as clear and beau- 



4 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

tiful as a mountain lake. Think it all out care- 
fully so that you can give it in class. 

If you can find any pictures of mountain 
lakes, study them and bring them to school. 

II. TRYING TO DESCRIBE FAMILIAR THINGS 
— A CLASS EXERCISE 

III. HOW TO DESCRIBE A THING WELL 

Read again "The Sailor's Story" (p. 2). 

Did the sailor tell the truth about the people 
of the United States? 

About how many millions of people are there 
in the United States ? 

How many did the sailor see ? 

How many people do you think you have 
ever seen ? 

How many cripples have you ever seen ? 

Did the sailor tell the truth about the people 
of the United States as he saw them ? 

If he had first traveled through the country, 
visiting the large cities, would he have said 
what he did about the number of people ? 
Would he have said what he did about 
cripples ? 

Often people tell what is not true about 



HOW TO DESCRIBE A THING WELL 5 

people and things, misrepresent them, we say, 
not because they mean to give wrong ideas, but 
because they do not observe long and carefully 
enough before talking. Let us make up our 
minds right at the beginning of our work in 
this book not to make this mistake. Let us 
determine to find out about things before we 
try to describe them ; then what we say will 
be true. 

We can find out about things in three ways : 
by observing — studying the things themselves, 
by asking questions of those who know, by 
reading. 

You may think it very easy to avoid the mis- 
take of the simple traveler and to describe some- 
thing so exactly that every one can see the thing 
in his mind just as it is. Try it. Choose some 
object in the classroom. Think just how you 
will describe it when your teacher calls upon 
you. In making your description, remember 
that you are trying to make your hearers see the 
object just as it is ; so do not say something 
that will lead them merely to guess at it. 

Suppose you were to say : 

I carry something in my pocket that tells me the 
time. 



6 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Every one would guess that you mean a watch ; 
but you have not described the watch you mean. 
You can see in your mind the watch that is in 
your pocket ; but you have said nothing to make 
any one else see that particular watch. What 
you have said might be true of any watch. 

But suppose you were to say : 

I have something in my pocket that reminds me of 
a person. It has a white face and two golden hands. 
It must be very shy, for it always holds its hands be- 
fore its face. Like some people, it is always talking, 
but its voice is very soft and low. The face is uncov- 
ered so that I can see it whenever I wish ; but the back 
is covered with silver. In the middle of the back are 
carved my initials. If once every day I turn a little 
screw on the top until it will turn no more, my little 
friend will see that I am always on time. 

Now you have described your watch. From 
what you have said about it any one can see in 
his mind the particular watch that you carry in 
your pocket. One can see an open-faced, silver 
watch, with your initials cut on the back; a 
stem-winder, with white face and golden hands ; 
and one can hear, in imagination, its soft " tick- 
tick." You have not only described your watch ; 
you have made your description interesting. 



HOW TO DESCRIBE A THING WELL 7 

Is your description complete ? Have you told 
everything about your watch ? No, you have 
told only a few things about it. You have said 
nothing about its size, shape, or thickness ; noth- 
ing about its general appearance, whether bright 
and new, or old and worn ; nothing about the 
surface of the case, whether smooth or chased ; 
and nothing about the inside of the watch. But 
you have probably told enough to distinguish your 
watch from any other, enough so that one could 
pick your watch out from a hundred watches 
that might be gathered together. Descriptions 
need not be complete ; they should be true and 
distinguishing. 

Try to make the description of the object 
that you have chosen to describe true and dis- 
tinguishing; that is, try to describe it so that 
one can see clearly in his mind the object you 
mean and pick it out from all others. Try, also, 
to make your description interesting. 



CHAPTER TWO 

ABOUT SENTENCES, CAPITALS, AND CERTAIN MARKS 

OF PUNCTUATION 

I. THE SENTENCE 
I 
I have a thought about a dog. I want you 
to have the same thought. I express my thought 
when I say, 

John's savage dog is in the yard. 

As you hear or read these words you get the 

same thought that I have. 

If I say, 

dog, 

I express and you get only a part of my thought. 

This one word tells what I am thinking about, 

dog, — not horse y sheep, or cat, — but it does not 

tell my thought about " dog." 

If I say only, 

savage dog, 

I tell and you know the kind of dog that I have 
in mind, but you do not know what I think 
about "savage dog." 



THE SENTENCE 9 

If I say 

John's savage dog, 

I tell to whom the savage dog that I have in 
mind belongs, but I still do not tell, and you do 
not know, what I think about " John's savage 
dog." I may have any one of a score of 
thoughts, such as 

John's savage dog bit the child, 

or 
John's savage dog never bites, 

or 
John's savage dog is dead. 
But when I say, 

John's savage dog is in the yard, 

I express a complete thought, and every one 
who hears or reads my words knows what that 
thought is. 

.A complete thought expressed in words is called a 
sentence. 

" John's savage dog is in the yard " is a sen- 
tence, because these words express a complete 
thought. 

" Dog " is not a sentence, for it does not 
express a complete thought. 



io SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

" Is " is not a sentence, for it does not express 
a complete thought. 

" Savage dog," " John's savage dog," " In 
the yard," are not sentences, for not one of these 
groups of words expresses a complete thought. 

2 

The groups of words The groups of words 

below are flot sen- below are sentences ; 

tences ; not one of them each group expresses a 

expresses a complete complete . thought, 
thought. 

i. The boy's new hat The boy's new hat is torn. 

2. Football Football is a dangerous 

game. 

3. The American flag The American flag waves 

over the school. 

4. The brave soldier The brave soldier was shot. 

5. The frightened horses The frightened horses ran 

away. 

6. Strong boys Strong boys like to jump. 

7. The gentle breeze The gentle breeze is cool. 

8. The whole world The whole world is glad. 

9. My good friend My good friend will come 

to-morrow. 
10. We We will play together. 

Let us study the groups of words above. 



THE SENTENCE u 

The boy's new hat 
Just what does this group of words tell ? 

"The hat" tells what the thought is about; 

" new " tells the kind of hat ; 

" boy's " tells to whom the hat belongs. All to- 
gether, these words tell and describe what the thought 
is about, but they do not tell what the thought about 
this thing is ; they do not tell the complete thought, 
hence they are not a sentence. But if we add to these 
words "is torn," we complete the thought, for "is 
torn " tells what is thought about " the boy's new hat." 
The complete thought is expressed in the sentence, 

The boy's new hat is torn. 

In this same way, study each one of the above 
groups of words and sentences. 

Below are some groups of words. Read each 
group to yourself, asking yourself this question : 
Does this group of words express a complete 
thought ? If the answer is yes, you may know 
it is a sentence ; if the answer is no, you may be 
sure it is not a sentence. 

Think what you could add to the groups of 
words that are not sentences to make complete 
thoughts, and so make them sentences. 

1. A game of baseball. 

2. The boy's lost baseball. 



12 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

3. The boy has lost his baseball. 

4. An exciting game. 

5. I like to play baseball. 

6. The new, white baseball. 

7. John has a new, white baseball. 

8. I want a new baseball. 

9. I have found a good baseball. 

10. Baseball is my favorite sport. 

11. This afternoon's game. 

12. We are going to the game this afternoon. 

13. The blue sky. 

14. The sky is blue. 

15. The train rushed through the town. 

16. The rushing, dashing, noisy train. 

17. The quiet, industrious children. 

18. The children are quiet and industrious. 

II. MAKING SENTENCES — A CLASS EXERCISE 

III. SENTENCES : STATEMENTS, QUESTIONS, 

AND EXCLAMATIONS 

Read the following sentences : 

1. Last night we heard a sound on our porch. 

2. What could it be? 

3. Father opened the door. 

4. There stood a large black dog. 

5. How big he seemed ! 

6. He held up a forepaw. 

7. What do you think he wanted ? 

8. The poor paw was cut and bleeding. 



SENTENCES 13 

9. How sorry we all felt ! 

10. Mother washed and bandaged the paw. 

1 1. How it must have hurt ! 

12. Yet how patient he was ! 

13. How did he know where to come? 

14. The dog looked very grateful. 

15. He stayed at our house all night. 

16. Was he not a wise dog? 

With what kind of letter does the first word 
of each sentence begin ? 

The first word in every sentence begins with a 
capital letter. 

Read the first sentence. This sentence tells 
or states something. 

A sentence that tells or states something is called a 
statement. 

The mark after the statement (.) is called a 
period. 

Every statement is followed by a period. 

Read the second sentence. This sentence 
asks something. 

A sentence that asks something is called a question. 

The mark after a question (?) is called a 
question mark. 

Every question is followed by a question mark. 
The question mark is said to have been 



i 4 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

formed from the first and last letters of the 
Latin word £>uaestio 9 " question," placed one 
above the other (^). 

Read the fifth sentence. This sentence not 
only tells that the dog was big ; it tells that he 
was so big that we were surprised. 

A sentence that expresses strong or sudden feeling, 
as joy, surprise, anger, fear, or admiration, is called an 
exclamatory sentence. 

The mark after an exclamatory sentence (!) 
is called an exclamation mark. 

Every exclamatory sentence is followed by an 
exclamation mark. 

The exclamation mark is said to have been 
formed from the Italian word Io, "joy," writ- 
ten (I). _ 

Study in order each of the sixteen sentences 
on pages 12 and 13, telling yourself how it be- 
gins, how it ends, and the reasons. Study them 
like this : 

1. (p. 12) Last night we heard a sound on our 
porch. 

" Last " begins with a capital letter because it is the 
first word in a sentence. There is a period after the 
sentence because it is a statement. 

2. (p. 12) What could it be? 

" What " begins with a capital because it is the first 



A STORY TO STUDY 15 

word in a sentence. There is a question mark after 
the sentence because it is a question. 

5. (p. 12). How big he seemed! 

"How" begins with a capital letter because . 

There is an exclamation mark after the sentence be- 
cause it is an exclamatory sentence. 

IV. A STORY TO STUDY 
The Lion and the Rabbit 

One night some horned animal hooked the lion as 
he lay asleep. Who could have done it? No one 
knew. So the lion ordered all animals with horns to 
leave the woods. 

A rabbit saw the shadow of his long ears. He 
thought they looked like horns. How frightened he 
was ! He rushed in terror from the woods. 

— La Fontaine 

What is the name, or title, of this story ? 
Which words in the title begin with capital 
letters ? In studying the title, say, 

The first and all important words in titles begin 
with capital letters. 

" The " begins with a capital letter because it is the 
first word in the title. " Lion " and " Rabbit " begin 
with capital letters because they are important words in 
the title. 



16 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

The sentences that make up this little story 
are divided into two groups or paragraphs. 
The first word in the first paragraph is " One." 
Notice that this word is written farther to the 
right than the first word in the line below. 

The first word in a paragraph is always set in, 01 
indented. 

What is the first word in the second paragraph ? 

How do you know ? 

Read the first paragraph. 

What does it tell you ? 

Read the second paragraph. 

What does it tell you ? 

Study each sentence. Read the sentence ; 
tell how it begins, and why ; how it ends, and 
why. Study like this : 

The first sentence is, 

One night some horned animal hooked the lion as 
he lay asleep. 

The first word in this sentence is indented because it 
begins a paragraph. " One " begins with a capital 
letter because it is the first word in a sentence. There 
is a period after the sentence because it is a statement. 

The second sentence is . " Who " begins with 

a capital letter because . There is a question 

mark after the sentence because . 



QUESTIONS AND EXCLAMATIONS 17 

The third sentence is . " No " begins . 

There is a after the sentence because . 

Study the remaining sentences in the same way. 

V. DICTATION — TO BE GIVEN BY THE 

TEACHER 

VI. CORRECTING DICTATION — WITH THE 

TEACHER 

VII. STATEMENTS, QUESTIONS, AND 
EXCLAMATIONS 

I 
Here are five statements : 

1. We did not go to New York because it rained. 

2. We played games all the afternoon. 

3. There were six boys at the house. 

4. John came in a carriage. 

5. He left at five o'clock. 

Each one of the above statements might be 
an answer to a question. The first statement 
would answer the question, 

Did you go to New York ? or, Why did you 
not go to New York ? 

Write five questions in order which might be 
answered by the five statements. 

Remember that the first word of every ques- 



1 8 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

tion must begin with a capital ; also that every 
question must be followed by a question 
mark. 

2 
Here are five questions : 

i. How old are you ? 

2. Do you like to read ? 

3. What kind of stories do you like best ? 

4. What is your favorite game ? 

5. Why do you come to school ? 

Write a statement in answer to each of the 
above questions. Remember that a statement 
is a sentence — a complete thought — and that 
each statement must begin with a capital and 
end with a period. 

3 
Here are two sentences. They are alike, but 
yet quite different. 

It is raining. 
It is raining ! 

The first of these sentences is a simple state- 
ment. The second is a statement, and some- 
thing more; it is an exclamatory sentence. What 
difference can you see between these sentences? 



WRITING TITLES 19 

Any sentence may be an exclamatory sentence. 
It depends upon what the speaker or writer wants 
the hearer or reader to understand. I may 
say calmly, " The wind is rising. 5 ' This is a 
simple statement. But I may be very much 
excited, or surprised, or frightened ; then I 
cry, " The wind is rising \" If you hear me 
speak, you can tell by my voice whether I am 
simply making a statement, or whether I am 
excited and crying out, or exclaiming. In 
writing, the punctuation of the sentence must 
tell how the writer feels. 

Change each of the five statements below 
into exclamatory sentences : 

1. A little child has fallen in the road. 

2. A great automobile rushes down upon her. 

3. The onlookers cry out. 

4. One brave man rushes before the car. 

5. The child is saved. 

VIII. WRITING TITLES 

I 

On the next page are twelve titles. Copy six 
of them, telling yourself why each capital is 
used. Remember that the first and all important 
words in a title begin with capital letters. 



20 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Bed in Summer 

The Man and His Old Horse 

The Life of Lincoln 

Hunting the Lion 

The Bell of Liberty 

The Battle of the Strong 

The Song of Marion's Men 

The Spider and the Fly 

The King of the Golden River 

A Man Overboard 

How the Giant Was Caught 

The Ant and the Bee 



In printing, every letter of a title is usually 
made a capital. Sometimes all the letters of a 
title are of the same size ; sometimes the letters 
beginning the first and the important words are 
larger than the others. 

Look at the titles in your Reader. Write six 
of them as titles should be written. What 
words must you begin with capitals ? 

3 

Write the titles on the next page as they 
should be written. What words must you begin 
with capitals? 



THINGS TO REMEMBER 21 

the lame man and the blind man 

the song of the thrush 

five peas in a pod 

the farmer and the stork 

the ugly duckling 

the blue and the gray 

the will and the way 

the village blacksmith 

vision of sir launfal 

a christmas carol 

IX. THINGS TO REMEMBER 

1. A complete thought expressed in words is 
called a sentence. 

2. The first word in every sentence begins with a 
capital letter. 

3* A sentence that tells or states something is 
called a statement. 

4. Every statement is folio-wed by a period. 

5- A sentence that asks a question is ended with a 
question mark. 

6. A sentence that shows strong or sudden feeling, 
as joy, surprise, anger, fear, or admiration, is called an 
exclamatory sentence. 

7- Every exclamatory sentence is followed by an 
exclamation mark. 

8. The first and all important words in titles begin 
with capital letters. 

9. The first word of every paragraph is indented. 



CHAPTER THREE 

READING, DRAMATIZING, AND REPRODUCING A STORY 
I. READING AND STUDYING A STORY 

Harmosan 

i. Long and bravely had the Persians fought 
against the invading armies of Moslems, but in vain. 
Province after province was lost, until at last the 
Persians were conquered and the Moslems reigned. 

2. The last and the boldest Persian warrior to 
fight against the invaders was Harmosan, governor 
of one of the provinces. Glad indeed was the caliph 
to capture so brave and so troublesome an enemy. 

3. " Bring forth the captive and slay him," was 
the caliph's command. 

4. Wan, weak, and wounded, they brought him 
out among his cruel foes. 

5. " Thou art about to die," said the caliph. 
" Hast anything to say ? " 

6. "Aye," answered the captive, "give me but 
one drink of water, then I am ready. Do your 
worst ! " 

7. Immediately a goblet of water was handed to 
him. Harmosan raised the cup to his lips, then 

22 



READING AND STUDYING A STORY 23 

lowered it without drinking, and looked around as if 
trying to read the faces of his enemies. 

8. "What fear'st thou?" asked the caliph. 
c< Think you that while you are drinking any will 
strike a secret blow? Quench thy thirst without 
fear. I promise none shall harm you until you 
have drunk that cup of water." 

9. A light broke over Harmosan's face. Quick 
as a flash, he dashed the goblet to the ground. 

10. "Now is my life my own," he cried. "You 
have said none shall harm me until I have drunk 
that water. Can thy servants gather again the drops 
from those burning sands ? " 

1 1 . An angry flush o'erspread the caliph's face. 
But with upraised hand he stilled the angry mur- 
muring of the people and answered proudly : " For- 
ever sacred must remain a ruler's word. Harm him 
not." 

12. Then, turning to a servant, he said, "Bring 
another cup of cold water." 

13. When the goblet had been brought, the caliph 

offered it to Harmosan, saying : " I bade you drink 

the first cup and perish. Now I bid you drink this 

cup and live ! " A ^ c 

r — A Persian Story 

Read the story through carefully. As you 
read, try to see everything described; try to 
feel as you think Harmosan and the caliph 
felt. 



24 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

After reading the story through carefully, 
study it through again, still more carefully and 
slowly. 

Try to see plainly the picture of the noble 
Persian soldier, wounded, weak, wan, perishing 
for water. Think just how you will express 
in words your picture so that others may see 
Harmosan as you see him. 

How do you picture the caliph, — as a cruel, 
hard coward, or as a brave foeman ? Why 
did he want to put Harmosan to death ? 

Think how you would read the words of 
the caliph, in paragraph five, so that those 
listening would know by your voice just what 
kind of man you think the caliph was. 

Think how you will read Harmosan's reply, 
in paragraph six, so that the hearers will know 
how weak Harmosan was. Think how he 
acted, how he looked around, when the goblet 
was handed to him. Can you make your 
look and your gestures say, " Perhaps, as I drink, 
they will slay me " ? 

Read the proud caliph's words in paragraph 
eight. 

Picture to yourself the joy that overspread 
Harmosan's face when he heard the words of 



DRAMATIZING STORY OF "HARMOSAN" 25 

the caliph ; the quick action with which he 
dashed the goblet to the ground. 

Could you read the tenth paragraph so as 
to show the joy he felt ? Why did he dare 
feel so joyful ? Suppose the caliph had broken 
his promise ? 

What does the rest of the story prove to 
you about the character of the caliph ? 

What did the caliph mean by, " Forever 
sacred must remain a ruler's word " ? 

What did he mean by : " I bade you drink 
the first cup and perish. Now I bid you drink 
this cup and live " ? 

II. GETTING READY TO DRAMATIZE THE 
STORY OF « HARMOSAN " 

This is an easy story to dramatize, for there 
is only one scene. 

Who speaks first ? 

What does he say ? Think just how you 
will speak these words if you take the part 
of the caliph. 

Where is the caliph as he speaks ? He may 
be seated on a chair or throne, or he may be 
standing. 

To whom does he speak ? Your story does 



26 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

not tell you, but doubtless he spoke to two 
or more soldiers. 

How should the soldiers salute before de- 
parting ? 

What other people are near the caliph ? 
Why are they there ? How do they feel 
towards Harmosan ? 

When the soldiers return with their captive, 
how might the people crowd around and 
threaten him ? 

If at the beginning the caliph is seated, when 
should he rise to his feet ? One is apt to spring 
to his feet when excited. 

Remember that the crowd must show at 
different times that they are angry and would 
like to destroy Harmosan. 

III. DRAMATIZING THE STORY 

IV. REPRODUCING THE STORY ORALLY 

V. FINDING DIFFERENT KINDS OF 
SENTENCES 

In the story, " Harmosan/' find : 

Two exclamatory sentences, 
Two questions, 
Two statements. 



WRITING ORIGINAL SENTENCES 27 

When called upon, be ready not only to 

read the sentences you have chosen, but to 

tell why each is an exclamatory sentence, or 
a question, or a statement, like this, 



(C 



Now I bid you drink this cup and live ! " is an 
exclamatory sentence, because it shows strong, sudden 
feeling. 

VI. WRITING ORIGINAL SENTENCES 



Write three statements, telling what kind of 
man Harmosan was, or three sentences telling 
what kind of man the caliph was. 

2 

Write two questions about the story. These 
may be questions to which you would really 
like to know the answer ; as, Who were the 
Moslems ? or they may be questions that you 
would like to ask other pupils, to see if they 
know the story ; as, What single favor did 
Harmosan beg ? 

3 

Write two exclamatory sentences that the sol- 
diers or people may have uttered when they saw 
Harmosan dash the cup of water to the earth. 



CHAPTER FOUR 

MEMORY GEMS 

I. THE VALUE OF MEMORY GEMS 

A Legend 

Once, as Alexander the Great and some of his sol- 
diers were riding through an underground passageway, 
they noticed that when their horses' hoofs struck the 
pebbles on the road, bright sparks of light flashed out. 
A few of the soldiers leaned over and gathered some 
of these pebbles, intending to examine them when they 
came again into the light. 

Suddenly they heard a voice saying, " He who gathers 
these pebbles will be sorry ; but he who gathers none 
will be still more sorry." 

While the soldiers wondered what these strange 
words could mean, they came to the end of the dark 
passage and out into the clear sunlight. Eagerly they 
examined the stones they had gathered. There, flash- 
ing in the sunshine, they beheld — not pebbles — but 
the most costly gems, — emeralds, rubies, and dia- 
monds ! 

Then the soldiers understood the meaning of the 
strange words that they had heard in the darkness, for 
they who had gathered some jewels were "sorry" that 

28 



THE VALUE OF MEMORY GEMS 29 

they had not gathered more, and they who had gath- 
ered none were " still more sorry." 

This legend is not a true story, but it teaches 
a great truth. As we travel through life, we 
have the chance, like Alexander's soldiers, to 
gather, or acquire, many things whose value we 
do not always know at the time. Among such 
things are good habits, good health, and our 
daily lessons. 

There is one especial kind of wealth that we 
must acquire in youth if we are not to be sorry 
in old age, — that is, a wealth of beautiful 
thoughts. If from day to day we learn some 
beautiful thoughts and keep them in our hearts, 
the words of the strange voice will be true of us. 
Those of us who gather some will still be sorry 
that we have not gathered more ; while those 
who gather none will be still more sorry. 

As we are going to store our memories with 
precious thoughts, and as they are even more 
valuable than the gems found by Alexander's 
soldiers, — for they will stay with us longer and 
give us more happiness, — we will call these 
thoughts Memory Gems. 

Here are some memory gems. Read them all 
carefully. 



30 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

i. Pippa' s Song 

The year's at the spring, 

And day's at the morn ; 
Morning's at seven ; 

The hillside's dew pearled ; 
The lark's on the wing ; 

The snail's on the thorn ; 
God's in His heaven — 

All's well with the world. 

— Robert Browning 

This beautiful little song was sung by a poor 
young girl named Pippa. Pippa had to work in a 
great mill. She had but one holiday in all the 
year. That holiday came in the springtime. 
To make the most of her one day, she rose early 
in the morning and went about singing her song. 
Of the many people who heard her, some were 
sick, some were sad, some were wicked ; but her 
sweet song made them all feel better, for they 
looked up and saw that the earth is beautiful 
and they remembered that God is in His heaven 
and that all is right with the world. 

2. Boughs are daily rifled 

By the gusty thieves, 
• And the book of Nature 
Getteth short of leaves. 

— Thomas Hood 



THE VALUE OF MEMORY GEMS 31 

This is the poet's beautiful way of saying that 
the fall has come. " Rifled " means robbed. 
The " gusty thieves " are the breezes. What do 
you think is meant by the " book of Nature " ? 

3. 'Tis easy enough to be pleasant 

When life flows along like a song, 
But the man worth while is the man who will smile 
When everything goes dead wrong. 

— Ella Wheeler Wilcox 

Did you ever know a playmate who was cheer- 
ful and happy when winning and when every- 
body was doing just what he wanted, but who 
pouted or refused to play when defeated or when 
the others would not let him " boss " things ? 
Is he the kind of a playmate that is worth 
while ? 

4. There is the national flag! He must be cold 
indeed who can look upon its folds rippling in the 
breeze without pride of country. . . . White is for 
purity, red for valor, blue for justice, and all together — 
bunting, stripes, stars, and colors blazing in the sky — 
make the flag of our country to be cherished by all 
our hearts, to be upheld by all our hands. 

— Charles Sumner 

Do you believe that the man who spoke these 
words really loved the flag ? That is what he 



32 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

expects us to do when he says, "cherished by all 
pur hearts/' 

Do you believe he would fight for the flag if 
it were in danger ? Is that what he means by 
" upheld by all our hands " ? How, besides 
fighting for them, can we show love for our flag 
and country ? 

Can you picture the speaker pointing at the 
stars and stripes, waving proudly in the wind, 
and speaking these beautiful words from his 
heart ? How do you think the people felt who 
heard him ? 

When you speak these words, look at your 
flag and speak the words straight from your 
heart. Only by so doing can you touch the 
hearts of your hearers. 

II. LEARNING A MEMORY GEM 

After reading the four memory gems given in 
the last section, study the one you like best. 
Read it through carefully and then try to say it 
to yourself. If you cannot say it, read it again, 
and again, and again if necessary, until you can 
say it. Do not try to learn it by studying a line 
at a time. That breaks the sense and spoils all 
the beauty of it. 



PREPARING ORIGINAL DESCRIPTIONS 33 

When you have learned the one you like best, 
take the one you like next best. If possible learn 
all, for you know that he who learns only one 
or two will be sorry that he did not learn more, 
and he who learns none perfectly will be still 
more sorry. 

III. RECITING MEMORY GEMS 
IV. WRITING A MEMORY GEM 

Read the memory gem you like best. See 
how it is written — which words begin with 
capitals, what marks of punctuation are used and 
where. Then close your book and write it. 
Do not forget to write the name of the author, 
or writer, after your gem. 

When you have finished, open your book and 
see if you have made any mistakes ; if you find 
any, correct them. 

V. PREPARING ORIGINAL DESCRIPTIONS 

In three of the memory gems you have read 
and studied there are descriptions of things. 

In the first (p. 30), Pippa tells how the 
spring morning looks to her ; she tells of the 
hillside covered with shining dewdrops, of the 
lark flying and singing towards the blue sky, of 



34 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

the snail crawling on the thorn bush, of the 
newness and happiness of the day. 

In the second (p. 30), the poet tells how the 
leaves drop from the trees in the autumn. 

In the fourth memory gem (p. 31), we 
plainly see the flag rippling in the breeze, with 
its red and white and blue flashing in the light. 

Describe in the best words you know how to 
use, the picture that one of the following titles 
brings to your mind. Make your description clear 
and interesting. Try also to make it beautiful. 

i. An Early Morning in Summer. 

2. A Snowstorm. 

3. How the Tide Came. 

4. A Sudden Thunderstorm. 

5. How a Bird Built Her Nest. 

6. The American Flag. 

7. How the Bee Gathers Honey, 

8. The Flight of a Butterfly. 

9. A Walk in the Park. 

10. Crossing a Crowded Street. 

11. A Store Window. 

Describe something that you have really seen or 
that you can see before the next lesson, when your 
teacher may call upon you for your description. 

VI. GIVING ORIGINAL DESCRIPTIONS 



CHAPTER FIVE 

FABLE, DIALOGUE, AND NARRATIVE ; APOSTROPHE, 
COMMA, AND QUOTATIONS 

I. QUOTATIONS AND THE APOSTROPHE 
The Hunter and the Lion 

"Have you seen any tracks of a lion?" asked a 
hunter of a woodcutter whom he met. 

The woodcutter answered, cc Come with me and I will 
show you the lion himself." 

The hunter turned pale with fright. His teeth 
chattered. 

" I don't want to see the lion ! " he stammered. 

c< I only want to see his tracks." 

— JEsop 

How many paragraphs are there in the above 
fable ? Remember that the first word of every 
paragraph is indented. 

In the first paragraph who is speaking ? 

What does he say ? 

Why is there a question mark after the words 
of the hunter ? 

35 



36 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Place your fingers around the words the 
hunter speaks in the first paragraph. These 
words — the exact words of a speaker — are 
called a quotation. 

See the marks (" ") the writer has placed 
around this quotation. They are called quota- 
tion marks, and should always be used to inclose 
the exact words of any speaker. 

Read the second paragraph. 

Is there a quotation in this paragraph ? 

Who is speaking ? 

Read the exact words of the speaker. 

Are these words inclosed in quotation marks? 

Read the rest of the sentence. 

See the mark (,) after " answered. " This 
mark is called a comma, and is used to separate 
the quotation from the rest of the sentence. 

What is the first word in the quotation ? 

With what kind of letter does it begin ? 

The first -word of every complete quotation begins 
with a capital letter. 

The word "I" is always written with a capital 
letter. 

In the fourth paragraph who is speaking ? 

Read the first group of words inclosed in 
quotation marks ; read the second group. 



HOW TO STUDY THE STORY 37 

• 

The word " don't " means do not. What letter 
has been omitted? The mark (') used in place 
of the letter omitted is called an apostrophe. 

The apostrophe is always used in place of one or 
more letters that have been intentionally omitted 
from a "word. 

Why is there an exclamation mark after the 
first quotation in paragraph four ? 



II. HOW TO STUDY THE STORY, "THE 
HUNTER AND THE LION " 

This story is to be studied so that you can 
write it correctly when dictated to you by 
your teacher. You must know just why and 
where every mark of punctuation and every 
capital is used, as well as how to spell all the 
words. 

Look first at the title. Tell why each capital 
letter is used, like this : 

" The " begins with a capital letter because . 

"Hunter" and "Lion" begin with capital letters 
because . 



By counting the number of indented places 
you may know that there are four paragraphs 
in this story. Try to tell in one short sentence 



3 8 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

what each paragraph tells. For the first and 
second paragraphs you might say : 

i. A hunter asked a woodman if he had seen any 
lion tracks. 

2. The woodcutter offered to show him not only 
the tracks, but the lion. 

Now study each paragraph in this way : 

First Paragraph 

" Have " is indented because it is the first word in a 
paragraph. 

" Have " begins with a capital letter because it is 
the first word in a sentence. 

There are quotation marks around " Have you 
seen any tracks of a lion ? " because these are the 
exact words of the hunter. 

There is a question mark after the quotation be- 
cause the hunter asked a question. The question 
mark is inside the quotation marks because it is part 
of the question that is quoted. 

There is a period at the end of the sentence because 
it is a statement. 

Second Paragraph 

" The " is indented because . 



cc 



The " begins with a capital letter because 



There is a comma to separate the quotation from 
the rest of the sentence. 



HOW TO STUDY THE STORY 39 

" Come " begins with a capital letter because it is 
the first word of a quotation. 

There are quotation marks around because 



"I " is a capital because . 

There is a period at the end of the sentence because 



Third Paragraph 

" The " is indented because . 

" The " begins with because . 

There is a period at the end of this sentence be- 
cause . 

" His " begins because . 

There is a period because . 

Fourth Paragraph 

<c I " is indented because . 



cc 



I " is a capital letter because 



There is an apostrophe between n and / in the word 
" don't " because a letter (0) has been omitted. 

There are quotation marks around because 



There is an exclamation mark at the end of 

because . 

There is a period at the end of because . 

" I " is a capital letter because . 

There are quotation marks around because 



There is a period at the end of because 



4 o SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

III. WRITING THE STORY OF THE HUNTER 
AND THE LION FROM DICTATION 

IV. CORRECTING DICTATION 

Open your book to the story, " The Hunter 
and the Lion" (p. 35). Place your paper 
containing the story that your teacher dictated 
beside your book. 

Title 

Read your title. Is every word spelled cor- 
rectly ? 

Have you used capital letters to begin the 
first and the important words ? 

Correct any errors you may have made. 

First Paragraph 

Have you indented your paragraph ? 

Does " Have ' begin with a capital letter ? 

Have you quotation marks around the words 
of the hunter ? 

Have you a question mark after the hunter's 
words ? 

Is the question mark inside the quotation 
marks ? 

Have you a period at the end of the sen- 
tence ? 

Do you know why every one of these capi- 



CORRECTING DICTATION 41 

tals and marks of punctuation has been used ? 
If not, ask your teacher. 

Correct any errors you have made in the first 
paragraph. 

Second Paragraph 

Have you indented the word " The " ? 

Have you written " The " with a capital 
letter ? 

Have you separated your quotation from the 
rest of the sentence by a comma ? 

Have you used a capital letter at the begin- 
ning of the quotation? 

Have you a period after each sentence in the 
paragraph ? 

Does your second sentence begin with a capi- 
tal letter ? 

Have you quotation marks around every word 
the woodcutter said ? 

Correct any errors you may have made in 
this paragraph. 

Examine the third and fourth paragraphs just 
as carefully as you have examined the first and 
second paragraphs. 

Correct any mistakes you have made and tell 
yourself as you make your corrections just why 
you are doing so. 



42 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

V. A WRITTEN TEST WITHOUT HELP FROM 

THE TEACHER 

The Wonderful Professor 

"That smaller child should go to bed at once/' said 
the professor. 

" Why at once ? " asked the other professor. 

" Because he can't go at twice," said the professor. 

The other professor gently clapped his hands. 
"Isn't he wonderful! " he cried. "Nobody else could 
have thought of the reason so quick. Of course he 
can't go at twice ! It would hurt him to be divided." 

— Lewis Carroll 
I 

Copy all the words in the title and in the 
first paragraph that begin with capital letters, 
and after each tell why a capital is used. This 
is the way you should do it : 

" The " begins with a capital because . 

" Wonderful " and " Professor " begin with capitals 
because . 



cc 



That " begins with a 



2 
Tell why the commas are used in the first 
and third paragraphs, like this : 

First Paragraph. The comma is used to separate 
the quotation from the rest of the sentence. 
Third Paragraph. The comma . 



A WRITTEN TEST 43 

3 
Where are quotation marks used in the first 
and second paragraphs, and why ? 

First Paragraph. There are quotation marks 
around " That smaller child should go to bed at once," 
because these are the exact words of the professor. 

Third Paragraph. There are quotation marks 

around . 

4 

Why is the question mark used in the second 
paragraph ? 

There is a question mark after c< Why at once " 
because . 

5 
Copy one exclamatory sentence from the 
fourth paragraph. 

Copy one statement from the fourth para- 
graph. 

6 

" Can't " is a contraction of cannot. Why is 
the apostrophe used in " can't " ? 

" Isn't " is a contraction of is not. Why is 
the apostrophe used in " isn't " ? 

If you cannot answer these questions, look 
back to the study of the fourth paragraph of the 
story, "The Hunter and the Lion" (p. 39). 



44 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

VI. STUDYING A DIALOGUE 
The Fairy Beads 

Fairy : Why do you weep, my child ? 

Child : Are you a fairy ? 

Fairy : Yes, I am a fairy. But you have not an- 
swered my question. 

Child : I was crying because I have lost my pearl 
beads. 

Fairy : Are these your beads ? 

Child : No, my beads are not as pretty as those. 

Fairy : My child, I see that you are truthful. 
These are fairy beads. Any one who wears them will 
be protected from all harm. Take them, my child. 
I give them to you. 

In the little dialogue above, what two people 
are talking ? 

Where do you think the little girl was when 
the fairy saw her ? Think of a place where one 
would be likely to meet a fairy. Perhaps it 
was by the brook, in the meadow, under the 
old oak tree, in the woods, by a fairy spring. 
Choose a place that you can see in your own 
mind. 

What was the little girl doing when the fairy 
saw her ? 

Now think of a good sentence that will tell 



STUDYING A DIALOGUE 45 

just where the little girl was and what she was 
doing when the story begins. Do not use a 
number of short sentences, as : 

" Once there was a little girl. One day she sat 
under a big oak tree. She was crying." 

Give one sentence, as : 

" One day a little girl sat under an oak tree, weeping 
bitterly." 

While she was weeping who came to her ? 

How do you think the fairy came ? Walk- 
ing ? Running ? Flying ? 

When do you think the child first knew that 
the fairy was there ? 

What did the fairy say ? 

Make a sentence telling how the little girl 
knew some one was near. 

What did the little girl have to do before she 
could see the fairy ? 

Read the first words she said to the fairy. 
If you think she was surprised to see the fairy, 
read the words to show surprise. How do you 
think the fairy looked ? 

Make sentences telling what the little girl 
asked the fairy and how she said the words. 

The next sentence in your story should tell 



46 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

the fairy's answer. Do not use the word said 
too often. You may say, " Yes, I am a fairy, 
but you have not answered my question/ 5 
replied the fairy. What other words might 
you use in place of replied? 

The next sentence should tell what the little 
girl answered. Choose a good word instead of 
said. 

When the fairy said, " Are these your beads ? ,: 
what did she do with them ? 

Make sentences telling what the fairy did and 
what she said, as : 

The fairy held out a string of beautiful pearls. 
" Are these your beads ? " she asked. 

or, 

" Are these your beads ? " asked the fairy, offering a 
string of beautiful pearls to the child. 

Do you think the child would like to have 
the string of pearls ? Why didn't she take 
them ? How do you think she felt when she 
refused them ? Perhaps you will make your 
next sentences something like this : 

" No, those are not my beads," said the child 
slowly. " My beads were not so pretty." 



WRITING A NARRATIVE 47 

or like this : 

The child looked at the beautiful pearls. She 
wished they were hers. But she answered, "No, my 
beads are not as pretty as those." 

How do you think the fairy looked at the 
child when she found she was honest ? How 
did the fairy feel ? 

Finish the story, telling how she looked and 
what she said as she gave the pearls to the child. 

Now begin at the beginning and tell the 
whole story. You may look at the little 
dialogue while you are making your story so 
that you will be sure to tell exactly what was 
said. The story as you tell it now is called a 
narrative. 

VII. WRITING A NARRATIVE FROM A 

DIALOGUE 

Write the story of "The Fairy Beads." Be- 
fore writing one word of a sentence, think the 
sentence through to the very end. You may 
keep your book open at the dialogue. 

Things to Remember 

1. Every quotation must be inclosed in 
quotation marks in a narrative. In a dialogue, 



48 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

the name at the left tells who is speaking, and 
so the quotation marks are not needed. 

2. Try to use as many different words for said 
as you can. Here are a few : replied, answered, 
responded, inquired, asked, cried, whispered. 

3. There were two new uses for the comma 
in this lesson. 

When the fairy speaks to the little girl, she 
calls her, "my child." You will find that when- 
ever she does, the words " my child " are sepa- 
rated from the rest of the sentence by a comma. 

The names of persons spoken to or addressed are 
always separated from the rest of the sentence by 
commas. 

The words yes and no (the opposite of yes) are sepa- 
rated from the rest of the sentence by commas. 

Do not forget to use commas in your story. 

VIII. UNSTUDIED DICTATION 

IX. WRITING CONTRACTIONS 

In "Pippa's Song" (p. 30) there is a con- 
traction in every line. Write these contractions 
in a column, and opposite each write the words 
for which the contraction stands, thus : 

year's year is 

day's 



WRITING CONTRACTIONS 49 

Things to Remember 

A direct quotation — the exact words of a 
speaker — is always inclosed in quotation marks 

1. "Good morning," said I. 

Every complete direct quotation begins with 
a capital letter. 

2. I said, " Good morning." 

A short direct quotation is usually separated 
from the rest of the sentence by a comma or 
commas (,). If the quotation is a question, it is 
followed by a question mark ; if it is an exclama- 
tion, it is followed by an exclamation mark. 

3. "Come on, boys," cried Harry. 

4. Harry cried, " Come on, boys," and led the 
way. 

5. " Where are you going, boys ? " asked Harry. 

6. " Run, boys, run ! " shouted Harry. 

The word "I" is always written with a 
capital. 

The words "yes" and "no" are separated from 
the rest of the sentence by commas. 

7. Yes, I am well. 

8. No, I have not been ill. 



50 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

The name of the person spoken to or ad- 
dressed is always separated from the rest of the 
sentence by a comma, or commas, 

9. My child, listen. 
10. Listen, my children, and you shall hear a 
story. 

Words shortened by intentionally omitting a 
letter or letters are called contractions. 

In a contraction an apostrophe (') is always 
used to show where a letter or letters have been 
omitted. 

Do not, don't ; is not, isn't ; cannot, can't ; 
we will, we'll. 



CHAPTER SIX 

STUDYING AND WRITING FABLES 

I. A FABLE TO STUDY 
The Donkey and the Race Horse 

A donkey boasted that he could outrun a horse. 
The horse consented to run a race with the foolish 
beast. Of course the donkey was defeated and loudly 
laughed at by the other animals. 

" I now see what was the matter with me," he said. 
" I ran a thorn into my foot some months ago and it 
still pains me." _ Lessing 

This story is called a fable. A fable is a 
short story, usually about animals, that teaches 
some truth or lesson. 

Did the donkey give the true reason for his 
defeat ? Why was he defeated ? Even if he 
had never hurt his foot, could he have defeated 
the race horse ? 

Did you ever know a boy or girl who al- 
ways gave some excuse for being defeated in a 
game, or for doing poorer work than another ? 

What does this fable teach ? 

51 



52 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Study this fable as you studied the story of 
"The Hunter and the Lion" (p. 37). 

The Title 

" The " begins with a capital letter because . 

"Donkey " and " Race Horse " begin with capital 
letters because . 

The Paragraphs 

How many paragraphs in this fable? 
What does the first paragraph tell ? 
What does the second paragraph tell ? 
Which words are indented and why ? 

First Paragraph 

Which words in the first paragraph begin with capi- 
tal letters ? Why ? 

How many sentences in the first paragraph ? 

What kind of sentences are they ? 

What mark is placed after each sentence ? 

Second Paragraph 

In this paragraph who is speaking? 

What does he say ? 

What do we call the exact words of a speaker ? 

What marks are placed around these words ? 

What words in this paragraph are not part of a 
quotation ? Why not ? 

Study this fable thoughtfully so that when 
your teacher dictates it, you can write it with- 
out a mistake. 



MAKING ORIGINAL FABLES 53 

II. WRITING THE FABLE OF "THE DONKEY 
AND THE RACE HORSE" FROM DICTATION 

III. CORRECTING THE DICTATION 

IV. MAKING ORIGINAL FABLES 

In the fable, " The Donkey and the Race 
Horse," there are just two paragraphs. 

The first paragraph tells that a boaster (the 
donkey), in trying to outdo one better than him- 
self (the race horse), was defeated and laughed at. 

The second paragraph tells us that the defeated 
one (the donkey) tried to excuse his failure by 
saying something silly and untrue. 

From the following suggestions you may make 
some original fables that teach the same lesson : 

1. The Robin and the Swallow 

Which flies faster, the robin or the swallow ? Think 
of some foolish excuse that the robin might make if he 
were defeated in a race with the swallow. ( cc I fell out 
of the nest when I was a baby bird and hurt my wing." 
— " I lost some feathers from my right wing and could 
not fly straight/' — " The sun was shining in my eyes 
and I could not. see the goal.") 

Now think out the fable of the robin and the swallow 
in good sentences. Keep the fable short. Be ready to 
tell it when called upon. 



54 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

2. The Toad and the Grasshopper 

Which can hop farther, the toad or the grasshopper ? 
If they should try their powers, what foolish excuse 
might the defeated one give ? 

Make a short fable about it. 

3. The Owl and the Eagle 

Which can see farther? Why might the owl boast 
that he could see farther than the eagle ? (Because his 
eyes are bigger ? Because he can see even in the 
dark?) If they should have a test, what excuse might 
the owl give for his defeat ? 

Make a fable about the owl and the eagle. 

Make fables from the following titles : 

4. The Snail and the Rabbit 

(They run a race.) 

5. The Crow and the Nightingale 

(The crow boasts that he can sing better than the 
nightingale.) 

6. The Puppy and the Cat 

(The puppy boasts that he can catch more mice than 
the cat.) 

7. The Turtle and the Fish 

(The turtle boasts that he can swim faster than the 
fish.) 



WRITING AN ORIGINAL FABLE 55 

V. WRITING AN ORIGINAL FABLE 

Look back to the fable, " The Donkey and 
the Race Horse" (p. 51). Read it through 
carefully. Notice that it is written in two 
paragraphs. See how short it is, — how few 
sentences are used. 

Now look over the different titles of the fables 
you made up in the last exercise. Select one of 
these titles and write a fable about it. In doing 
this, here are some things you must keep in mind : 

1. Begin the first and important words in 
your title with capital letters. You have only 
to copy your title ; but as you do so, tell your- 
self why you use capitals where you do. 

2. Indent your paragraphs. Make only two 
paragraphs. 

3. Think out every sentence before you try to 
write it. Be sure to begin and end each sen- 
tence correctly. 

4. Remember that every direct quotation — 
the exact words of a speaker — must be inclosed 
in quotation marks. 

If you will do all these things, you will have 
few mistakes to correct when you have finished 
writing your fable. 



56 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

VI. ENLARGING A PARAGRAPH 

In the fable, " The Donkey and the Race 
Horse " (p. 51), the writer made the first para- 
graph very short; yet in it he told a great 
deal. 

" A donkey boasted that he could outrun a horse. 
The horse consented to run a race with the foolish 
beast. Of course the donkey was defeated and loudly 
laughed at by the other animals." 

As a fable must be a short story, the writer 
did well to make the paragraph short. We 
might sometimes, however, like to tell more 
fully just what happened. Thus, in place 
of the first sentence we might tell how the 
donkey boasted, giving the donkey's own 
words. 

Just what might the donkey have said ? 
Here are some things he might have said ; you 
may think of others : 

"How slow that horse is! I can easily outrun 
him ! " 

"Is that as fast as you can run ? I can easily beat 
you. 

" No other animal can run as fast as I. I can outrun 
the swiftest race horse." 



ENLARGING A PART OF A STORY 57 

In place of the second sentence, we might 
give the horse's answer to the donkey's foolish 
boast. 

What might the horse have said ? How 
would you have answered had you been the 
horse ? 

When the donkey was defeated, as told in 
the last sentence of the paragraph, just what 
might the other animals have said ? 

VII. ENLARGING A PART OF A STORY 

Write the first part of one of the fables whose 
titles are given on pages 53 and 54. Tell what 
the boaster said when he claimed that he could 
do something better than another. Use his exact 
words. 

Tell the reply of the one to whom the 
boaster spoke, giving the exact words of the reply. 

Finally, give the exact words of those who 
saw the test and its outcome. 

For example, if you were writing on the title, 
"The Robin and the Swallow," you might 
write something like this : 

One day a robin boasted to a swallow, " I can fly 
faster than any other bird." 



58 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

The swallow answered: " Let us fly to the tall pine 
at the edge of the forest. We shall soon see if you are 
speaking the truth." 

The swallow reached the pine tree long before the 
robin. Then the other birds twittered and sang, 
" The robin is a boaster, not a swift flier ! " 

Some Things to Remember in Writing 

i. Before beginning to write, think out every 
sentence, just as you will write it. 

2. Remember that what each animal says 
should be written in a separate paragraph. 
Notice that the words of the robin are found 
in the first paragraph ; the words of the swallow, 
in the second paragraph ; the words of the other 
birds, in the third paragraph. 

3. Remember how every sentence begins, 
how each kind of sentence ends, and that every 
quotation must be inclosed in quotation marks. 

VIII. REWRITING A FABLE 
Read the following fable : 

The Wolf and the Crane 

A wolf, who had a bone stuck in his throat, offered 
to pay a crane well if she would draw it out. The 
crane consented and soon removed the bone. When 
she asked the wolf for her pay, he laughed and told her 



WRITING A FABLE 59 

she was lucky to have escaped with her life, and that 
was pay enough. 

Rewrite this fable, giving the words that the 
wolf and the crane may have used. Remember 
that the words of each should be written in sep- 
arate paragraphs. 

IX. WRITING A FABLE 
Below is given a conversation between an ant 
and a snail. Make this conversation into a fable. 
Write an opening paragraph telling where 
the ant and the snail met. How many more 
paragraphs will you have? Remember to use 
quotation marks in giving the words of the dif- 
ferent speakers. 

Do not use the word said in each paragraph. 
When may you use asked? When exclaimed? 
What other words may you use in place of said ? 

Ant: What is the matter, friend snail? You look 
worried. 

Snail: I am worried. See this great post in my way. 
I wish I had wings like a bird, that I might fly over it. 

Ant: Wings, indeed! Have you no feet? Why 
wish to fly when you can crawl ? 

Snail: Crawl? Don't you see how high this post is? 

Ant: What difference does the height make to you? 
Crawl around, my friend, crawl around. 



CHAPTER SEVEN 

PICTURE STORIES 
I. STORIES FROM PICTURES 
Study the pictures on the opposite page* 

The Upper Picture 

Who has come to visit the little girl ? What 
does he want ? He seems to be looking at her 
beads; perhaps they are not real beads, but 
something the mouse likes, as peas, beans, haws. 
Perhaps they are real beads, but to the mouse 
they look like something else. 

The mouse may have come to complain of 
something. What might he say about the little 
girl's cat ? What about the traps in the pantry ? 
He isn't afraid of cat or traps. He is too spry 
to let the cat come near him and too wise to go 
near the traps. For whom is he afraid ? What 
may he ask the little girl to do about the cat or 
traps or whatever troubles him ? 

What answer may the little girl give, tell- 
ing why it is right to keep a cat and to set 
traps ? 

60 





6i 



62 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

The Lower Picture 

Why did the little girl go to the mouse's 
home ? Did he invite her ? Why ? Did she 
wish to go ? Why ? 

How did the little girl become small enough 
to get into a mouse's hole ? Think of all the 
stories you have read in which people became 
larger or smaller by some marvelous means. 
You remember Alice had just such an adventure 
in Wonderland. When she wanted to enter the 
beautiful garden, she couldn't because she was so 
large. She found a bottle that was marked, 
" Drink me." She drank the water and found 
herself " shutting up like a telescope " until she 
grew so small she entered the garden without 
any trouble. When she wanted to grow large 
again, she found a cake on which was printed in 
currants, " Eat me." As soon as she had eaten 
the cake, she was her proper self again. Now 
think of how the mouse might have made the 
little girl smaller. Did he give her something 
to eat ? What ? Something to drink ? What ? 
Did he have a magic wand ? Did he know 
some magic words ? 

How did the little girl enter the mouse's 
home ? What did she see there ? How did the 



STORIES FROM PICTURES 63 

family of mice treat her ? Did they cause her 
to change her mind about mouse-catching cats 
and traps ? What promise did she make before 
leaving their home ? How did she regain her 
usual size ? Did she keep her promise ? 

Did the little girl have this experience with a 
marvelous mouse or did she fall asleep and dream 
the story ? 

Give the little girl a name and tell the whole 
story. Your story may begin as follows : 

One day Alice lay on the floor before the fireplace, 
reading a storybook. Suddenly she saw something 
moving near the book. She looked more closely and 
discovered that it was a little gray mouse. But what 
a strange mouse it was ! He did not seem to be at all 
afraid. He sat up on his haunches and began to squeak. 
" Squeak/' did I say ? I should have said speak, for 
Alice understood every word he said. 

" Dear Alice," he began, " I have come to " 

Finish what the mouse said, telling his rea- 
son for coming to visit Alice. Go on with the 
story, telling all that happened. 

Here are two endings to the story. Yours 
may be like either of these, or altogether dif- 
ferent. 



64 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

(i) When Alice found herself standing once more 
before the fireplace, she drew a long breath and said : 
"Well, I have had a wonderful adventure. Now I 
must keep my promise to the mouse. I will go at 
once and destroy every trap in the pantry." 

(2) Slowly Alice opened her eyes. She was lying 
on the floor before the fireplace, her head resting on 
her picture book. " Dear me ! " she sighed. " It was 
only a dream. But what an exciting dream it was ! " 

II. MORE PICTURE STORIES 

In this picture Mr. Puppy visits the playroom 

and has a surprising adventure. 
What toy does he like especially t 
What do the soldiers think of Mr. Puppy ? 
How does Mrs. Noah feel ? 
What opinion does Mrs. Noah's dog have of 

the live puppy ? 

Tell the story of the puppy's visit to the 

playroom as one of the following may have 

told it : Mrs. Noah, the dog from the ark, the 

soldier, the officer, the doll, the puppy. 

Here is the story as Mrs. Noah might have 

told it : 

Mrs. Noah's Story- 
Come, my beloved family and dear animal friends, 

gather round me here in our safe, sunny ark, while I tell 




ADA 



65 



66 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

of a gallant deed I saw. Last night while all the hu- 
mans were asleep and the toys were alive, I and my 
faithful dog left the ark to visit my friend, the beauti- 
ful French doll. 

On our way, we stopped for a few moments to see 
the new leaden soldiers drill. Their officer is a dashing 
fellow, and he drew his sword and gave his orders in a 
loud, clear voice. It was a joy to watch him and to see 
how promptly his soldiers obeyed him. Suddenly 
officer and soldiers wheeled to the right and gave a 
gallant salute. I looked to see whom they were thus 
honoring, and there was the dear French doll running 
towards me. 

While we all stood watching the beautiful fairy 
figure, we heard a loud scratching at the door. Then 
the door flew open and in rushed such a monster ! 
He was larger than any animal in the ark. In fact, he 
was larger than all the ark animals together. Yes, he 
was even larger than the ark itself. Straight into the 
room he rushed, falling all over himself in his haste 
and awkwardness. 

Suddenly he spied the charming doll. He stopped, 
wagged his great tail, tossed his huge head, and — 
rushed right at the dainty darling. My, how my 
wooden heart beat in my wooden breast ! How I 
wished I could stop the monster ! At the risk of my 
life, I threw up my arms and waved my stick and tried 
to shout, but the words stuck in my throat. 

Nearer and nearer to our beloved doll plunged the 
monster. Could nothing stop him ? 



MORE PICTURE STORIES 67 

Yes ! yes ! The gallant officer rushed forward, 
waving his sword, and shouting to his men, " Ready ! 
aim ! " Every gun was brought to a brave shoulder 

and pointed at the savage monster. " F ," began 

the officer, but before he could give the last fatal order, 
we heard a noise from the hall, — "Mew! mew!" 
The monster stopped as suddenly as if he had indeed 
been shot, pricked up his great ears, and charged 
through the doorway. We heard strange sounds of a 
lively scuffle, then loud noises, — " Mew ! mew ! ' 
" Bow ! wow ! wow ! " Then the opening of a door 
and the master's voice saying, " Here, Fido, come to 
your box. Kitty, go to your basket." Then all was 
still in the nursery, for the human voice had turned us 
once more into lifeless toys. 

Your story, told by some one else in the pic- 
ture, may be quite different. For example, the 
puppy may tell how he found the strange 
people in the nursery and tried to make friends 
with them. When he went up to the officer, 
however, the sharp sword pricked his nose. 
What experience did he have with each of 
the others ? At last the puppy may have 
thought they were all pretty stupid and not 
at all good companions ; so he was glad to leave 
them and rush off to play with kitty, who was 
alive and very good fun. 



68 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

III; STILL MORE PICTURE STORIES 

See the child on the track. What is the 
matter with him ? Is he asleep ? Has he been 
hurt ? Has he fainted ? 

What danger is he in ? How long will it 
take the train to run around the curve and 
reach the boy ? 

Will the dog rescue the child? How ? 

Make the whole story, telling where the boy 
has been or where he is going (What in the 
picture tells this?), how he happened to be on 
the tracks when the train was coming, how he 
was rescued, and who praised the noble dog. 

IV. WRITING A PICTURE STORY 

Choose one of the pictures in this chapter 
and write the story it tells you. 

i. Choose a good title. 

2. Think every sentence through before writing it. 

3. Try to make your story interesting. 

4. Remember what you have learned of the use of 
capitals and marks of punctuation. 

V. READING PICTURE STORIES 

VI. CORRECTING AND COPYING PICTURE 

STORIES 




69 



CHAPTER EIGHT 

RHYMES; WRITTEN REPRODUCTIONS; QUOTATIONS AND 

CAPITALS 

I. STUDYING A FABLE IN RHYME 

The Ant and the Cricket 

A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing 

Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and 

spring, 
Began to complain, when he found that at home 
His cupboard was empty and winter was come. 

Not a crumb to be found 

On the snow-covered ground; 

Not a flower could he see ; 

Not a leaf on the tree : 
" O what will become," said the cricket, " of me ! ,: 

At last by starvation and famine made bold, 

All dripping with wet and all trembling with cold, 

Away he set off to a miserly ant, 

To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant 

Him shelter from rain ; 

A mouthful of grain 

He wished only to borrow, 

He'd repay it to-morrow ; 
If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow, 

70 



STUDYING A FABLE IN RHYME 71 

Said the ant to the cricket : " I'm your servant and 
friend, 

But we ants never borrow, we ants never lend ; 

But tell me, dear sir, did you lay nothing by 

When the weather was warm ? " Said the cricket : 
"Not I. 

My heart was so light 
That I sang day and night, 
For all nature looked gay." 
" You sang, sir, you say ? 

Go then," said the ant, " and dance winter away." 

Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket 

And out of the door turned the poor little cricket. 

Though this is a fable, the moral is good : 

If you live without work, you must live without food. 

The divisions of a poem are called stanzas. 
How many stanzas in this poem of the ant and 
the cricket ? 

How many lines in the first stanza ? 

How many lines in the last stanza ? 

How does the first word in every line begin ? 

The first word in every line of poetry begins with a 
capital letter. 

In the eighth line of the second stanza is the 
contraction " he'd." Read this line. 



72 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

"He'd" is a contraction of he would. The 
apostrophe ( ' ) takes the place of what omitted 
letters ? 

In the first line of the third stanza, what con- 
traction do you find ? 

What words have been contracted ? 

The apostrophe takes the place of what 
letters ? 

Read the words of the ant in the first four lines 
of the third stanza. 

To whom is the ant speaking ? 

What does he call the cricket in the third 
line ? 

How are the words " dear sir " separated from 
the rest of the sentence ? 

Read the eighth line in the third stanza. 

What does the ant call the cricket in this 
line ? 

How is " sir " separated from the rest of the 
sentence ? 

You have already learned that the name of 
the person spoken to, or addressed, is always 
separated from the rest of the sentence by a 
comma. 

When the name comes in the middle of the 
sentence, as : 






"THE ANT AND THE CRICKET" 73 

" But tell me, dear sir, did you lay nothing by when 
the weather was warm ? " 

or 

" You sang, sir, you say ? " 

two commas are necessary, — one to separate the 
name from the first part of the sentence, and 
one to separate it from the last part. 

When the name of the person addressed comes 
at the beginning or at the end of a sentence, 
only one comma is needed, as : 

Dear sir, did you sing ? " 
You say you sang, sir ? " 

Read the third line in the last stanza. 
What does the word " moral " mean ? 
The moral of the fable is found in the last 
line. Read it. 

II. ORAL REPRODUCTION OF "THE ANT AND 

THE CRICKET" 

III. WRITING THE STORY, "THE ANT AND 

THE CRICKET" 

If you answer each of the following questions 
in a complete sentence, you will tell the story 
of the ant and the cricket. The questions are 
arranged in groups. The answers to each group 



74 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

of questions make a paragraph. Do not copy 
the questions. When you are not sure of 
an answer, look at the rhyme in your book. 
Write your title first, then each paragraph in 
order, until you have made the whole story. 

i 

What had a silly cricket done all spring and sum- 
mer ? 

At last what kind of days came ? 
Then how did the cricket feel ? Why ? 

2 

To whom did the cricket go for help ? 

For what did he ask? (Do not say, He asked for 
food and shelter, but write the exact words that you 
think he may have said. Perhaps you will want to 
make several sentences in answer to this question.) 

3 
What did the ant tell him about the customs of all 
the ants ? Give the ant's exact words. 
What question did he ask ? 

4 

What was the cricket's answer ? 

5 
What did the ant then say to the cricket ? 

6 

What did the ant do to the cricket ? 



HOW NAMES ARE WRITTEN 75 

In writing, remember that the name of the 
person addressed is always separated from the 
rest of the sentence by one or two commas. 



IV. HOW NAMES ARE WRITTEN 
The Spilled Ink 

" Mary, did you spill the ink on the carpet ? " asked 
Tom. 

" No, Tom," answered Mary. " Did you, Will ? " 
I did not, Mary, but I know who did," said Will. 
Who was it, Will ? " 
Will did not answer in words. He pointed a finger 
at Fido, and guilty little Fido crept under the sofa. 

What are the names of the people in this 
story ? How does each name begin ? 






The names of people always begin with capital 
letters. 

Study this story, telling what words begin 
with capitals and why ; which words are indented 
and why ; what marks of punctuation are used 
and why. 

Title 



" The " begins with a capital because . 

cc Spilled " and "Ink" begin with capitals because 



76 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

First Paragraph 

" Mary M is indented because . 



a 



Mary " begins with a capital because 



There is a comma to separate " Mary " from the 
rest of the sentence because " Mary " is the name of 
the person addressed. 

There are quotation marks around because 



The quotation ends with a question mark because 



"Tom " begins with a capital letter because it is the 
name of a person. 

There is a period after the sentence because . 

Study the other paragraphs in the same way. 

V. WRITING STUDIED DICTATION 

VI. CORRECTING DICTATION 

VII. WRITING DIRECT QUOTATIONS 

John asked Harry to go fishing. 

The above sentence may be written in several 
ways, as follows : 

i. John said, cc Harry, will you go fishing ?" 

2. John said, " Will you go fishing, Harry ? " 

3. "Harry, will you go fishing ? " said John. 

4. cc Harry," said John, " will you go fishing ? ' 

In sentences (1), (2), and (3) only one set of 
quotation marks is used, because all that John 



WRITING DIRECT QUOTATIONS 77 

said is written together. In sentence (4) two sets 
of quotation marks are used, because the words 
"said John" divide what John said into two parts. 

Rewrite each of the sentences below, quoting 
in each one the exact words that the speaker 
used. Rewrite each one in only one way, not 
in several ways, as given above. Choose the way 
you think will sound best. 

Remember that the name of the person ad- 
dressed must be separated from the rest of the 
sentence by a comma or commas ; and that every 
word of a quotation must be inclosed in quotation 

marks. 

Going Fishing 

1. John asked Harry to go fishing. 

2. Harry told John that he could not go. 

3. John asked Harry why he could not go. 

4. Harry told John he had to weedthe garden. 

5. John said he would help Harry. 

6. Harry told John he was a good fellow. 

7. John told Harry he liked to help a friend. 

VIII. THINGS TO REMEMBER 

1. The names of persons addressed or spoken to 
are always separated from the rest of a sentence by 
a comma or commas. 

2. Every name of a person must begin with a cap- 
ital letter. 



CHAPTER NINE 

DRAMATIZING, PLAY WRITING, DESCRIPTIONS, 
ORIGINAL STORIES 

I. STUDYING A STORY 

The Two Merchants 

i 

A Persian merchant, who had to go on a long 
journey, carried his treasure to another merchant, his 
neighbor, saying: " My friend, I know that you are 
an honest man. Here is a hundred pounds of silver. 
Will you keep it for me until I return ? " 

" Certainly," replied the neighbor. " I will guard 
it with great care." 

After the merchant left, the neighbor sat staring 
at the silver. He thought of the long journey the 
merchant had to take, of the hardships he would 
meet on the way, of the many things that might 
happen to prevent his return. At last he made up his 
mind to steal the hundred pieces of silver, persuad- 
ing himself that the merchant would never come back. 

2 

After several months, however, the merchant did 
return. He went straight to the house of his neigh- 
bor and asked for his silver. 

78 



STUDYING A STORY 79 

" Alas ! " cried the dishonest man, " your silver 
is all gone ! A rat ate it, every bit ! I am sorry, 
but what can I do ? " 

The merchant was about to make an angry reply 
when he thought: "I cannot prove that he has stolen my 
silver and is now lying to me. So why talk ? I will 
think of a plan to make him return to me mine own." 

So the merchant, pretending to believe his neighbor, 
went away. 

3 

Some days afterwards the merchant met his dis- 
honest neighbor's only son. He carried the child 
to his house and hid him. Then he went to call 
on his neighbor, whom he found in great distress. 

" My friend," said the merchant, " will you come 
and dine with me to-day ? " 

" I pray you excuse me," said his neighbor. " You 
see I am in great trouble." 

" What is the matter ? " asked the merchant. 

" My only child is lost," was the reply. 

" I think I can tell you what happened to him," 
said the merchant. " Some hours ago I saw a screech 
owl pounce upon your son and carry him off to 
an old ruin." 

" Nonsense ! " cried the father. " My boy weighed 
fifty pounds ! How could a screech owl carry him 
away ? " 

I cannot tell you how," answered the merchant. 

But, friend, there is nothing very wonderful about 
it. Surely a screech owl can carry off a boy weighing 






80 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

but fifty pounds, if a tiny rat can devour one hundred 
pounds of silver ! " 

The dishonest man, seeing that he was detected, 
confessed his sin and gave the merchant the hun- 
dred pounds of silver in exchange for his son. 

— Adapted from La Fontaine 

What do you think of the merchant's plan 
for getting back his silver ? 

Did he think his neighbor would believe his 
story about the screech owl ? 

Did he want him to believe it ? 

Why did he tell it ? 

Notice that the story is divided into three 

parts. The first part tells what happened the 

first time the two merchants met ; the second 

tells what happened the second time; and the 

third tells what happened the third time they 

met. 

Preparing to Dramatize the Story 

First Part 

In playing the part of the dishonest neigh- 
bor, what words will you use to show just 
what you are thinking as you look at the silver 
after the merchant leaves ? Read the last para- 
graph ; this tells you what he thought, but you 
must express it in your own words. 



STUDYING A STORY 81 

Second Part 

If you play the part of the merchant, what 
will you say in asking for your silver on your 
return from your journey ? 

The story tells just what the merchant 
thought of his neighbor's answer. In playing 
the merchant's part, when you speak these 
words you will turn your face away from the 
neighbor and talk softly, as if you did not want 
him to hear what you were saying. This is 
called talking in an aside. 

If you are the merchant, what will you say 
to your neighbor when you pretend to believe 
his story about the rat ? 
Third Part 

Read the last paragraph. If you are the 
dishonest neighbor, in what words will you 
confess that you have stolen the silver and that 
you are willing to give it up in exchange 
for your son ? 

Get a pupil to take the part of one of the 
merchants while you take that of the other. 
Rehearse the play together, at recess or after 
school, so that you will be prepared to give it 
well before the class, when you have the oppor- 
tunity. 



82 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

II. DRAMATIZING THE STORY, "THE TWO 

MERCHANTS 

III. REPRODUCING THE STORY ORALLY 

IV. WRITING A PLAY 

The story of the two merchants is written in 
three parts. If it were written as a play, these 
parts would be called Act I, Act II, Act III. 

What would Act I tell ? 

What would Act II tell ? 

What would Act III tell ? 

In writing a play you must tell the time and 
place of each act. All the acts of this play took 
place at the home of the dishonest neighbor. 
The different parts may be written in this way: 

Act I 

Place: Home of the Dishonest Neighbor. 

Time: Long ago. 

Act II 

Place: Home of the Dishonest Neighbor. 
Time: Several months later than Act I. 

Act III 
Place: Home of the Dishonest Neighbor. 
Time: Several days later than Act II. 

You are going to write one act of this play. 
Copy from above the heading of the act that 



WRITING A PLAY 83 

you wish to write. Then turn back to the 
story, and copy, if you wish, the conversation 
from the book. In places where no conver- 
sation is written out, you must write what you 
think might have been said. 

For example, the last paragraph of the first 
part tells what the neighbor thought. You 
must write just what he said to himself, as 
though he were thinking out loud. 

Again, the first paragraph of the second part 
tells that the merchant asked the neighbor to 
return his silver. You must write just what 
you think the neighbor said. So, in the last 
paragraph of this second part, you are told that 
the merchant pretended to believe that a rat 
really had eaten his silver. You must make 
the merchant say something to show this. 

Finally, to put into the play what is told in 
the very last paragraph of the story, you should 
write what the dishonest man said in confess- 
ing his sin and in giving back the silver in 
exchange for his son. 

Remember, in writing this play, that no 
quotation marks are to be used. Write the 
name of the speaker, and after the name write 
what the speaker says, like this : 



84 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Merchant: My friend, I know that you are an 
honest man. Here is a hundred pounds of silver. 
Will you keep it for me, while I go on a long 
journey ? 

Neighbor: Certainly. I will guard it with great care. 

V. STUDYING DESCRIPTIONS 

Following are five descriptions of houses or 
parts of houses. Each one was written by a 
skillful and well-known author. 

Read each description, very carefully. After 
reading a description, close your eyes and try 
to see in your mind the house or room de- 
scribed. 

i. A Hut 

It was a hut built of clay and wattles. The door 
was low and always open, for there was no window. 
The roof did not entirely keep out the rain, and 
the only thing comfortable about it was a wide hearth, 
for which the brothers could never find wood enough 
to make a good fire. 

— Frances Browne 
(In The Christmas Cuckoo) 

What is a hut? Wattles are twigs. Do you 
see the walls of this hut with your eyes closed ? 
How large do you think it is ? Is the picture 
of this hut altogether a cheerful one ? What 



STUDYING DESCRIPTIONS 85 

is there about it that gives you a homelike, 
comfortable feeling ? 

Read the first two sentences again. See how 
simple, short, and clear these sentences are and 
what common words are used. This is what 
makes this description so fine. Read again the 
last sentence. 

How much more interesting it is to read, "It 
was a wide hearth, for which the brothers could 
never find wood enough to make a good fire," 
than it would be to read, " The hearth was eight 
feet wide and four feet deep." In some descrip- 
tions it is necessary to give exact measurements, 
as in a description of a fireplace that you want 
a mason to build for you ; but in this descrip- 
tion the writer only wants to show you the big, 
wide, comfortable hearth. Does she not do it ? 

2. Old Dutch Houses in Old New York 

The houses of the higher class were generally con- 
structed of wood, excepting the gable end, which was 
of small, black and yellow Dutch bricks, and always 
faced on the street. . . . The house was always fur- 
nished with abundance of large doors and small win- 
dows on every floor, the date of its erection was 
curiously designated by iron figures on the front, and 
on the top of the roof was perched a fierce little 



86 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

weathercock, to let the family into the important secret 
which way the wind blew. 

— Washington Irving 

(In Knickerbocker s History of New Tork) 

Have you a good mind picture of one of the 
houses described ? Can you make a drawing of 
it ? On public buildings, where is the date 
placed ? Can you see the iron figures on one 
of these old Dutch houses ? 

Why does the writer say, " a fierce little 
weathercock " ? Can you draw or see a picture 
of a proud little cock that seems to be saying, 
" I can crow louder and fight harder than any 
other cock in the land " ? If so, you see Mr. 
Irving's weathercock. 

The book from which this description is 
taken is one of the most amusing books ever 
written ; even in this short description, Mr. 
Irving gets in a bit of fun. Instead of saying, 
as most writers would, that the weathercock 
was placed on the roof to tell which way the 
wind blew, he tells us, " On the top of the roof 
was perched a fierce little weathercock, to let 
the family into the important secret which way 
the wind blew." He tries to make us think, 
not of a tin, or wooden, weathercock, placed 



STUDYING DESCRIPTIONS 87 

on the roof by man's hand, but of a real, live, 
fierce little cock, who has perched himself on 
the roof, and who tells the secrets of the wind 
to the people in the house. So he makes us 
see things as he sees them. 

3. The Log House 

The log house was made of unsquared trunks of 
pine — roof, walls, and floor. The latter stood in sev- 
eral places as much as a foot or a foot and a half above 
the surface of the sand. There was a porch at the 
door, and under this porch the little spring welled up 
into an artificial basin of a rather odd kind — no other 
than a great ship's kettle of iron, with the bottom 
knocked out, and sunk " to her bearings," as the cap- 
tain said, among the sand. 

Little had been left besides the framework of the 
house ; but in one corner there was a stone slab laid 
down by way of hearth, and an old rusty iron basket 
to contain the fire. 

— Robert Louis Stevenson 

(In Treasure Island) 

Here we have a description of a rough log 
house. " Unsquared trunks ' ' means tree trunks 
just as they are cut down — not made square by ax 
or saw, that they may be the better fitted to- 
gether. 

" There was a porch at the door," — can you 



88 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

see it ? Probably it consisted of two tree trunks 
holding a roof over the spring. There will be 
no floor. 

Have you ever seen a barrel or drainpipe sunk 
into a spring to collect the water ? What was 
used at the log house instead of a barrel or 
pipe ? 

The second paragraph gives a glimpse of the 
inside of the house — bare walls, the hearth with 
the rusty iron basket to hold the fire. 

Read the description again, then close your 
eyes and try to see the outside of the log house. 
Now step into the porch and get a good picture 
of the spring. Pass in through the door and see 
the inside of the building. 

Read the description again to see what clear, 
simple language the author uses, — no unneces- 
sary words, all good words to make clear the pic- 
ture that the writer has in his own mind. 

4. The Study 

The study was certainly not very large, being about 
six feet long by four broad, but it looked very com- 
fortable, Tom thought. The space under the window 
was occupied by a square table covered with a red and 
blue checked tablecloth ; a hard-seated sofa covered 
with red occupied one side, running up to the end, and 



STUDYING DESCRIPTIONS 89 

making a seat for one, or, by sitting close, for two, at 
the table ; and a stout wooden chair afforded a seat for 
another boy, so that three could sit and work together. 
Over the door was a row of hat pegs, and on each side 
bookcases with cupboards at the bottom ; shelves and 
cupboards being filled with schoolbooks, a cup or two, 
a mousetrap, brass candlesticks, leathern straps, a bag, 
and some curious articles, which puzzled Tom until his 
friend explained that they were climbing irons, and 
showed their use. A cricket bat and small fishing rod 
stood in the corner. —Thomas Hughes 

(In Tom Brown's School Days) 

The above is the description of a boy's study 
in a boarding school. Would you not like to 
share this room ? 

Read the description and picture the study in 
your mind as you read. With pencil try to show 
the position of the window, the table, the sofa, 
the chair, the hat pegs, the bookcases and cup- 
boards. It is not necessary to draw these objects ; 
just draw an outline for the room and write the 
names of the pieces of furniture where you think 
they were placed. This exercise is given to test 
your power to get a clear picture from a written 
description. If you can do this, you will be 
able to write a description that will show good, 
clear pictures to those who read it. 



9 o SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

In all the descriptions you have read the 
writers not only give clear pictures, they make 
their descriptions interesting. Anybody would 
like to see the great, wide hearth — so large that 
it is hard to get wood enough for it, as described 
by Frances Browne (p. 84). Who would not 
be charmed to meet the " fierce little weather- 
cock " that " perched " on the old Dutch house 
(p- 85) ? What is most interesting in the de- 
scription of "The Log House "'(p. 87)? In 
that of " The Study " (p. 88) ? After you have 
read the description of " The Garret," think 
what is most interesting in that. 

5. The Garret 

It is an old garret with big brown rafters ; and the 
boards between are stained darkly with the rainstorms 
of fifty years. And as the sportive April shower 
quickens its flood, it seems as if its torrents would come 
dashing through the shingles upon you, and upon your 
play. But it will not ; for you know that the old roof 
is strong, and that it has kept you, and all that love 
you, for long years, from the rain and from the cold ; 
you know that the hardest storms of winter will only 
make a little oozing leak, that trickles down the brown 
stairs — like tears. 

The heavy rafters, the dashing rain, the piles of spare 
mattresses to carouse upon, the big trunks to hide in, 



STUDYING DESCRIPTIONS 91 

the old white coats and hats hanging in obscure corners, 
like ghosts, — are great ! 

There is great fun in groping through a tall barrel 
of books and pamphlets, on the outlook for startling 
pictures ; and there are chestnuts in the garret drying, 
which you have discovered on a ledge of the chimney ; 
and you slide a few into your pockets, and munch them 
quietly. 

Old family garrets have their stock of castaway 
clothes of twenty years gone by ; and it is rare sport to 
put them on ; buttoning in a pillow or two for the sake 
of good fullness. 

— Donald G. Mitchell (Ik Marvel) 

(In Reveries of a Bachelor) 

This is a splendid description of a garret in an 
old house. Is it at all like the garret in your 
house? Read this description as many times as 
is necessary to give you a good mind picture of 
this particular garret. 

Before the next lesson, choose some building 
or some room that you will describe to the class 
at that time. You may take the garret at home, 
or the sitting room, or the hall, or any room in 
your own home ; or you may take some room 
you have visited that seems different from any 
other room you know. 

The houses of which you have read descriptions 



92 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

were not ordinary, everyday houses. There was 
something strange or unusual about each. In 
choosing a house to describe, take one that is dif- 
ferent from most houses, — it may be an old 
cabin, or a fort, or a lighthouse, or an armory, 
or any unusual building. 

Remember that the writers of the descriptions 
you have read — 

( i ) had good clear pictures in their minds before they 
started to write ; 

(2) used simple words, used no unnecessary words, 
used words that helped to paint good mind pictures 
for their readers; 

(3) made their descriptions interesting. 

VI. ORAL DESCRIPTIONS 

Some directions for the preparation of de- 
scriptions of houses or rooms were given at the 
end of the last exercise. Here are further sug- 
gestions that will help : 

1 . If you are going to describe a building, read again 
descriptions 1 (p. 84), 2 (p. 85), and 3 (p. 87). If 
you are going to describe a room, read descriptions 4 
(p. 88) and 5 (p. 90). 

2. Have a clear picture in your own mind of what 
you are going to describe. 



TELLING AN ORIGINAL STORY 93 

3. Use simple, strong language that will make your 
hearers see the picture as you see it. 

4. Make your description interesting. 

VII. WRITTEN DESCRIPTIONS 

Write a description of the house or room that 
you described, or prepared to describe, orally at 
the last lesson. 

A good description must be true ; it must 
show clear pictures ; it must be interesting. 
Try to make your description meet these 
requirements. 

VIII. TELLING AN ORIGINAL STORY 

When you read the description of the garret 
(p. 90), you know that the writer has in mind 
a real garret. You feel that he loved that old 
garret when he was a boy, and that he had 
many good times in it. Can you not see him 
and his playmates in that old garret on a rainy 
day ? 

He talks about the piles of spare mattresses. 
Think of the fun they could have tumbling and 
jumping on them. See them playing hide and 
seek in and around the big trunks. Suppose a 
boy hid in a trunk and the lid slammed down 



94 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

and they could not open it for a while. Sup- 
pose the boy was left alone in the trunk all 
night, while the people in the house thought he 
had gone home. 

Can you see a little boy going into the garret 
for some nuts, perhaps just as it was growing 
dark ? Suddenly he starts back frightened. 
What has frightened him ? Can it be those old 
white coats and hats hanging in the corner ? 

Again, see the children looking through a 
barrel or a big trunk or chest. Perhaps they 
find something that surprises them very much. 
It may be something that has been lost for a 
time and that the boy's parents may be glad to 
see again. It may be something mother or 
father has hidden away for a Christmas or birth- 
day surprise. 

Once more, see the children dressing in the 
quaint old clothes packed away in the garret. 
What queer clothes may they find? Why are 
they dressing, — just for fun, to surprise mother, 
for a play they are planning to give, for a party ? 

Think of all the things you can see the chil- 
dren doing in the garret and make a story about 
one of them. Or if you wish, you may tell a true 
story of something you really did in your garret. 



WRITING ORIGINAL STORIES 95 

Here are some titles for stories about a rainy 
day spent in the garret. You may tell a story 
from one of these ; or you may make another 
title from the suggestions just given and tell a 
story about it ; or you may tell of a day you 
really spent in a garret. 

1. The Ghost in the Garret. 

2. Hide and Seek in the Garret. 

3. The Treasure Found in the Old Chest. 

4. Our Grandparents' Clothes. 

IX. WRITING ORIGINAL STORIES 

Write the story you told of a rainy day spent 
in the garret. 

X. WRITING STORIES FROM SUGGESTIONS 

Write a story from one of the following sug- 
gestions : 

i. Because a will was lost a family had to leave 
their old and much-loved home. One rainy day the 
son of the house was looking through an old desk in 
the garret. In the desk he found a secret drawer. 

2. A girl getting ready for a fancy dress party 
tried on an old dress of her grandmother's. In a 
pocket she found . 



CHAPTER TEN 

MONTHS, DAYS, DATES, ABBREVIATIONS, LETTER 

WRITING 

I. THE MONTHS 

Here are some memory gems about the 
months. Read them through carefully and 
choose the one you like best. 

January 

There's a New Year coming, coming, 

Out of some beautiful sphere, 

His baby eyes bright 

With hope and delight, 

We welcome you, Happy New Year. 

— Lucy Larcom 

Why is the New Year likened to a baby ? 
We say " Happy New Year/' because we hope 
the year will be full of happiness. What then 
is meant by " His baby eyes bright with hope 
and delight " ? 

February a -, £ -_ r . , 

A Glee for Winter 

Hence, rude Winter! crabbed old fellow, 
Never merry, never mellow ! 
\ 96 



THE MONTHS 97 

Well-a-day ! in rain and snow 
What will keep one's heart aglow? 
• ••••• 

Mirth at all times all together, 
Make sweet May of Winter weather. 

— Alfred Domett 

To what does the poet liken Winter ? What 
is meant by " crabbed " ? 

March 

March 

The stormy March is come at last, 

With wind, and cloud, and changing skies ; 

I hear the rushing of the blast 

That through the snowy valley flies. 

Ah, passing few are they who speak, 
Wild, stormy month, in praise of thee ; 

Yet though thy winds are loud and bleak, 
Thou art a welcome month to me. 

For thou, to northern lands again, 

The glad and glorious sun doth bring ; 

And thou hast joined the gentle train 
That wear'st the gentle name of Spring. 

— William Cullen Bryant 

Why do people seldom speak in praise of 
March ? The poet welcomes it because it is 
the first month of spring. 



98 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Which months are meant by " the gentle train 
that wear'st the name of Spring " ? 

April-May 

When April steps aside for May, 

Like diamonds all the raindrops glisten ; 

Fresh violets open every day ; 

To some new bird each hour we listen. 

— Lucy Larcom 

The May sun shining through April's rain- 
drops makes them glisten like diamonds. 

June 

And what is so rare as a day in June ? 

Then, if ever, come perfect days ; 
Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune, 

And over it softly her warm ear lays. 

The cowslip startles in meadows green, 

The buttercup catches the sun in its chalice, 

And there's never a leaf nor a blade too mean 
To be some happy creature's palace. 

— James Russell Lowell 

Chalice means cup. 

What is meant by " The buttercup catches the 
sun in its chalice " ? 

What is the meaning of the last two lines ? 



THE MONTHS 99 

September 

September days are here, 
With summer's best of weather, 
And autumn's best of cheer. 

— Helen Hunt Jackson 

" Summer's best of weather ' ' means pleasant 
weather, warm without extreme heat. 

What is meant by "autumn's best of cheer " ? 

October 

Ere, in the northern gale, 
The summer tresses of the trees are gone, 
The woods of autumn, all around our vale, 
Have put their glory on. 

The mountains that infold, 
In their wide sweep, the colored landscape round, 
Seem groups of giant kings, in purple and gold, 

That guard the enchanted ground. 

— William Cullen Bryant 

What is meant by " summer tresses " ? What 
words are used to describe the colors of the 
autumn foliage ? 

November 

The leaves are fading and falling, 
The winds are rough and wild, 
The birds have ceased their calling, 
But let me tell you, my child, 



ioo SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Though day by day, as it closes, 
Doth darker and colder grow, 

The roots of the bright red roses 
Will keep alive in the snow. 

— Alice Cary 
Is this a sad poem ? 

What seems sad ? 

What is the real joysome lesson to be learned 

from this poem ? 

December 

Oh, holly branch and mistletoe ! 

And Christmas chimes where'er we go ! 
And stockings pinned up in a row ! 

These are thy gifts, December ! 

— H. F. Blodgett 

II. MEMORIZING A QUOTATION 

Memorize the quotation that you like best 
about the months. 

Remember to do this in the best way ; you 
must read the whole quotation, then try to say 
it. Do not learn a line at a time. 

Note the words that begin with capitals. 

The first word of every line of poetry always be- 
gins with a capital letter. 

The names of the months always begin -with capi- 
tal letters. 



MONTHS AND THEIR ABBREVIATIONS 101 

Memorize as many of these quotations as you 

can. 

III. WRITING A QUOTATION 

Read carefully the quotation about the month 
that you have learned. Notice the capitals and the 
marks of punctuation that are used. Then close 
your book and write the quotation from memory. 

When you have finished, compare your work 
with the quotation as printed in your book, and 
correct any mistakes you may have made. 

IV. THE MONTHS AND THEIR ABBREVIATIONS 
In writing, the names of some of the months 
are often shortened or abbreviated. 

These abbreviations, like the full names, begin 
with capital letters ; and they are followed by 
periods. 

Here are the names of the months and their 
abbreviations correctly written. Study them, and 
when you are sure you can write every one cor- 
rectly from memory, close your book and do so. 

January Jan. July 



February 


Feb. 


August 


Aug. 


March 




September 


Sept. 


April 




October 


Oct. 


May 




November 


Nov, 


June 




December 


Dec. 



io2 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

After you have finished writing the names 
of the months and their abbreviations, compare 
your paper with the book, and correct any mis- 
takes you may have made. 

V, NAMES OF DAYS AND THEIR 
ABBREVIATIONS 

The names of the days and their abbreviations 
should always begin with capital letters. 

Study them and write from memory. 

Sunday Sun. Wednesday Wed. 

Monday Mon. Thursday Thurs. 

Tuesday Tues. Friday Fri. 

Saturday Sat. 

When you have finished, compare your paper 
with your book. There should be no mistakes 
to correct in this simple lesson. 

VI. SOME DATES IN AMERICAN HISTORY 

i. Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain August 

3> H9 2 - 

2. He discovered America October 12, 1492. 

3. The Declaration of Independence was signed 
July 4, 1776. 

4. The flag of the United States was adopted by 
Congress June 14, 1777. 



WALTER'S LETTER 103 

Study each sentence in this way : 

" Christopher Columbus M begins with capitals be- 
cause it is the name of a person. 

" Spain ,: begins with a capital letter because it is 
the name of a place. 

"August" begins with a capital because it is the 
name of a month. 

There is a comma to separate the part of the date 
that shows the day of the month from the part that 
shows the year. 

There is a period at the end of the sentence because 
it is a statement. 

VII. WRITING DATES FROM DICTATION 

VIII. WALTER'S LETTER 

One Monday morning, as Frank Burton left 
the house, the postman handed him a letter. 
" It must be for Mother/' thought Frank. But 
no, there plainly written on the envelope was 
Frank's own name and address : 

Mr. Frank Burton, 
21 High St., 

Harrisburg, 
Pa. 

" It's from Walter Norris ! " cried Frank, as 
he tore the envelope open. He quickly read 
the following letter : 



104 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

1 6 Maple Street, 

MlDDLETOWN, Pa., 

Oct. 3, 1914. 
Dear Frank, 

Where were you this morning? Did you forget 
that you had promised to spend the day with me ? I 
was at the station to meet every train. But no Frank 
appeared. 

All the other fellows I invited were here, and we 
had a very good time. But I missed you. What 
are you going to do next Saturday ? Can you come 
and spend the day with me ? 

Sincerely yours, 

Walter Norris. 

Frank slowly returned the letter to its enve- 
lope. 

" If Walter only knew why I didn't keep my 
promise ! Forget it ? I guess not ! If ever a 
fellow had an excuse for breaking a promise, I 
had. PU write to Walter to-night and tell 
him why I could not be with him. Won't he 
be surprised when he gets my letter ! " With 
these thoughts running through his mind, 
Frank hurried off to school. 

Studying Walter's Letter 

Look at what was written on the envelope. 
What is written on the first line ? " Mr." is 



WALTER'S LETTER 105 

an abbreviation for Mister. You know that 
the abbreviations of the names of the days and 
months are followed by a period (.). " Mr." 
is also followed by a period. 

Every abbreviation is followed by a period. 

What is written on the second line ? " St." is 
the abbreviation for Street. 

What is written on the third line ? What 
on the fourth? "Pa." is an abbreviation for 
Pennsylvania. 

What is written on the envelope is called the 
address. The address must tell just where the 
person to whom the letter is sent lives. 

Now let us look at Walter's letter. In the 
upper right-hand corner, what is written ? 
What do the first two lines tell ? What does 
the third line tell? 

The part of the letter, written in the upper 
right-hand corner, that tells where the writer lives, 
and the date of the writing, is called the heading. 

Where are commas used in this heading ? 

In every heading commas are used to separate 
the different parts ; that is, there must be a 
comma after the name of the street, one after 
the name of the city or town, and one after the 



106 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

name of the state. A period is placed at the 
end of the heading. 

To whom is Walter writing? How does 
he address or call him ? See what is written 
at the left. You know already that the name 
of the person addressed or spoken or written to is 
separated from what is said by a comma. That 
is why there is a comma after " Dear Frank." 

Why do you think Frank did not go to see 
Walter ? He himself said that he did not for- 
get to go. He also said he had a good excuse. 
It must have been something unexpected or he 
would have written and told Walter he could 
not go. It must have been something un- 
usual or strange, for he knew it would surprise 
Walter when he heard the reason. 

Think of something interesting that might 
have kept Frank at home. At the next lesson 
you are going to play that you are Frank and 
write a letter to Walter, telling him why you 
could not visit him. 

IX. FRANK'S LETTER 

Where does Frank live ? You can find out 
from the address on the envelope of the letter 
Walter sent him (p. 103). 



FRANK'S LETTER 107 

What will you write on the first line of your 
heading ? What on the second line ? Where 
will you place commas ? 

Frank said he would write to Walter on 
Monday night ; that would be October the 
fifth. How will you write the date on the 
third line of the heading ? 

Where will you write " Dear Walter " ? 
What mark will you place after " Dear 
Walter " ? 

Notice where the first word of Walter's letter, 
" Where," is written. Write the first word of 
your letter in the same position. 

How will you begin your letter to Walter ? 
Do you not think it would be well to begin 
by saying something like this : 

I am sorry I could not see you on Saturday. In- 
deed I did not forget ! 

Now go on and finish the letter. Tell why 
you did not go, and whether or not you can 
accept the invitation for next Saturday. 

End your letter as Walter ended his. 

Where did Walter live ? You can find out 
by looking at the heading of his letter (p. 104). 
Write Walter's address as it should appear on 
the envelope of his letter. 



io8 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

X. CORRECTING LETTERS 

XL THINGS TO REMEMBER 

i. The names of the months and their abbrevia- 
tions begin with capitals. 

2. The names of the days of the week and their 
abbreviations begin -with capitals. 

3. Every abbreviation is followed by a period. 

4. In writing dates there is a comma to separate 
the part that tells the day of the month from the part 
that tells the year. 

5. The names of places, — as cities, states, and 
countries, — should begin with capital letters. 

6. In writing the headings of letters, the different 
parts should be separated by commas. 

Read the first thing above, " to remember," 
then write the name of a month and its abbre- 
viation correctly. 

Read 2, then write the name of a day and 
its abbreviation. 

After reading 3, write the abbreviations for 
Mister ■, street, and the name of your state. 

After reading 4, write the date for to-day. 

After reading 5, write the names of your 
street and of the city or town in which you live. 

After reading 6, write the heading for a 
letter that you would write at your own home. 



CHAPTER ELEVEN 

TRUE STORIES, COMPOSITIONS, LETTERS, POSSESSIVES 
I. TRUE STORIES 

The General's Story 

" Yes/' said the general, " I have ofteh been afraid." 

A shout of laughter greeted the general's words* 
The young men who heard them thought the 
general was joking. They could not believe that he, 
the great soldier who had fought a hundred battles, 
could ever know fear. 

" You need not laugh," replied the general. 
" What I tell you is true, and, if you listen, I will tell 
vou of the worst fright I ever had." 

Listen ! of course they would listen to the general's 
story ! In eager attention the young men drew their 
chairs closer. 

" Way back in the seventies I was out in the Black 
Hills," began the general. "The Indians were keep- 
ing us busy. For two days I had been out scouting. 
Late in the afternoon of the second day I came upon 
some signs that proved I was near an Indian war 
party. They seemed to be traveling slowly, so I 
determined to hang back until dark, then move for- 
ward and have a closer look at the enemy. I wanted 

109 



no SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

to find out the size of the party, and, if possible, the 
object of the march. 

" Alighting from my horse, I picketed him where 
he could graze for a while, and after eating a mouth- 
ful of supper, I threw myself down on the ground and 
was soon fast asleep. 

" Suddenly I awoke with the feeling that some 
movement near by had wakened me. The night was 
so black I could not see my hand before me. 

" Presently I heard a slight noise as of something 
moving over the grass. I grasped my revolver. 
Nearer and nearer came the noise; and now something 
touched the top of my head ! Then, before I could 
leap to my feet or make any resistance, a rope was 
passed roughly over my face ! I seized the rope to free 
myself. As soon as I touched it, the rope slackened 
in my hand, and over the grass came trotting towards 
me — not an Indian warrior — but my own horse ! In 
grazing, he had drawn his picket rope over my face." 

A shout of laughter greeted the general's story. 

c< That's right," replied the general. " Laugh as 
much as you like. I laugh at my scare, too, now. 
But I can tell you it was no laughing matter that dark 
night back in the seventies. 

"And another thing, young men, never be afraid to 
own that you have been frightened ; for every man, even 
the bravest, has had his moments of fear." 

"True! true !" cried the young men. Then one 
after another told of being frightened in the dark by 
some harmless thing. 



TRUE STORIES m 

When the general first heard the soft sound 
of the rope being dragged over the grass, what 
do you suppose he thought it was ? What did 
he think when he felt the rope on his face ? 
Why did his horse trot up to the general when 
he pulled the rope ? 

Just as soon as the general touched the thing 
that frightened him, he learned that there was 
nothing to fear. 

Have you ever been frightened at night by a 
post or a tree that looked like something else, 
by clothes hanging on a nail, by a fur rug, by 
some strange sound, or by any other harmless 
thing? You know that it is foolish to be afraid 
of such things, but as the general in the story 
says, " Every man, even the bravest, has had his 
moments of fear/' The best way, the bravest 
way, to drive away such fears, is to go right 
straight up to the thing that frightens you and 
touch it ; then you will learn, as the general 
did, that there is really no cause for fear. 

When the general had finished his story, the 
young men who had listened told stories of being 
frightened by some harmless thing. You may 
do the same. 

Think of some time that you have been 



ii2 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

frightened. Come to school prepared to tell 
about it at the next lesson. Plan just how you 
will tell it, — what words you will use. Try 
to make your story as interesting as the general 
made his. 

If you cannot remember ever having been 
frightened, you may come prepared to tell of 
some time when you were brave and not fright- 
ened. 

II. TELLING TRUE STORIES 

III. WRITING A TRUE STORY 

Write the story of the time that you were 
frightened by some harmless thing. Think of 
a good title for your story. Think out each 
sentence before you write it. 

When you have finished, read your story 
through, first, to see if you have told the whole 
story clearly ; then read it again, to see if you 
have used capitals and marks of punctuation in 
the right places. 

IV. WHEN I GROW UP — A STUDY LESSON 

Over the hills and far away, 

A little boy steals from his morning play, 

And under the blossoming apple tree 

He lies and he dreams of the things to be : 



WHEN I GROW UP — A STUDY LESSON 113 

Of battles fought and of victories won, 
Of wrongs o'erthrown and of great deeds done — 
Of the valor that he shall prove some day, 
Over the hills and far away. 

— Eugene Field 

Why did the little boy run away from his 
morning play ? 

Do you not suppose it was very quiet under 
the blossoming apple tree ? There he could 
think undisturbed. 

What did the little boy want to be when he 
grew to be a man ? Read the fifth, sixth, and 
seventh lines. 

Perhaps the little boy grew up to be a soldier 
and fought for the right and proved that he was 
a good, brave soldier. 

Perhaps he never became a soldier ; but, just 
the same, he could prove that he was a good, 
brave, true, and honest man by helping the weak, 
working for the right, speaking the truth, and 
being honest in all his dealings. 

Do you ever go off by yourself and think 
quietly of what you will do when you grow up ? 
If you never have, you may think now of what 
you would like to be when you are a man or a 
woman. 



ii 4 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Remember that it does not make so much 
difference what work you do as how well you do 
it. " The servant who sweeps a room thor- 
oughly is more to be praised than the king with 
all his wealth who rules unjustly/' 

Learn this little memory gem : 

If I were a cobbler, I would make it my pride 

The best of all cobblers to be ; 
If I were a tinker, no tinker beside 

Should mend an old kettle like me. 

V. WHEN I GROW UP — A WRITTEN LESSON 

Write a short composition, telling what you 
want to be when you grow up. 

Think a whole sentence before you write one 
word. 

How should every sentence begin ? How 
should every sentence end ? 

VI. "THE WISHING BRIDGE " 

Over a hundred years ago, in the town of 
Marblehead, there was an old bridge. It was 
called " The Wishing Bridge/' because it was 
said that any wish made on it would surely come 
true. 

Whittier has written a beautiful poem about 



THE APOSTROPHE 115 

this bridge, telling about two children who 
made wishes on it, and how their wishes came 
true. Perhaps your teacher will read this poem 
to you ; or you can find it, " The Wishing 
Bridge/' in Whittier's poems at home or in 
the library, and read it for yourself. 

Suppose there were a wishing bridge near 
your home, and that you might stand on this 
bridge and make three wishes ; for what would 
you wish ? 

Write your wishes. You may use " The 
Wishing Bridge " as the title of your paper. 
Begin your paper something like this : 

If I could stand on a wishing bridge and make three 
wishes, I should wish — 

Remember that in every written lesson we 
must make good, complete sentences ; we must 
begin and end each sentence correctly. 

VII. THE APOSTROPHE 

We have already studied the use of the 
apostrophe (') to show when letters have been 
omitted in contractions, as in we'll and 
don't. 

In the title, " The General's Story/' there is 
an apostrophe between the word " General " and 



n6 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

the letter "s". This apostrophe is not used to 
show that a letter or letters have been omitted, 
" General's " means belonging to the general ; that 
is, the story was told by the general, not by 
Tom, Fred, or Mary, or any one else. 

The apostrophe and "s" added to the word 
"General" show possession or ownership. 

Words that have an apostrophe and "s "added, 
showing possession, are called possessives. 

What is the possessive in each of the follow- 
ing sentences ? What is possessed, or owned ? 

i. Fred's book was lost. 

[Fred's is a possessive. Book is the thing pos- 
sessed.) 

2. He left it at Tom's house. 

3. Tom's mother found it under the sofa. 

4. " This is Fido's work," said Mother. 

5. " These pages have been torn by a dog's teeth." 

Write in a column all the possessives in the 
above sentences, and opposite each possessive 
write the name of the thing possessed or owned, 
like this : 

Possessives Things Possessed 

Fred's book 

The apostrophe and s Qs) are added to the name 
of a person or thing to show ownership or possession. 



c< 



TWO USES OF THE APOSTROPHE 117 

VIII. TWO USES OF THE APOSTROPHE 

The following is part of a conversation be- 
tween Scrooge, an old miser, and his clerk, Bob 
Cratchit, that took place on Christmas eve : 

" You'll want all day to-morrow, I suppose/' said 
Scrooge. 

" If quite convenient, sir." 
It's not convenient, and it's not fair," said Scrooge. 
If I was to stop half a crown for it, you'd think 
yourself ill used, I'll be bound. And yet you don't 
think me ill used when I pay a day's wages for no 
work." 

The clerk observed that it was only once a year. 
" A poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every 
twenty-fifth of December," said Scrooge. 

— Charles Dickens 

In the above selection, what is the first word 
that contains an apostrophe ? 

Is it a contraction or a possessive ? 

If a possessive, what is possessed or owned ? 
If a contraction, for what does it stand ? What 
letter or letters have been omitted ? 

Study in the same way every word containing 
an apostrophe. 

In writing, contractions are used chiefly in 
quotations and in poetry. 



n8 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

IX. STUDY OF SELECTION 

Study the selection about old Scrooge and 
Bob Cratchit (p. 117), telling yourself why each 
capital and each mark of punctuation is used, as 
follows : 

First Paragraph 

" You'll " is indented, or has a double margin, be- 
cause it is the beginning of a paragraph. 

" You'll " begins with a capital letter because . 

There is an apostrophe in " you'll " because it is a 
contraction. It is a contraction of . 

There is a comma after " to-morrow " because there 
is a pause there. 

Try to read this sentence without pausing 
after " to-morrow " and you will see how hard 
it is to do so. Besides, you will see that you do 
not get the real meaning if you do not pause. 
In the third paragraph three commas are used 
to mark pauses for meaning. They are so used 
after " convenient/' " it," and " used." When 
you come to these commas, remember why they 
are used. 



<c I " is a capital letter because . 

There are quotation marks around because 



There is a comma to separate the from 



GRANDFATHER'S LETTER 119 
c< Scrooge " begins with a capital letter because . 



There is a period at the end of the sentence because 



Study each of the remaining paragraphs in 
the same way. 

X. WRITING FROM DICTATION 

XL CORRECTING WRITTEN DICTATION 

XII. GRANDFATHER'S LETTER 
One day a child received the following letter : 

Stanhope, Ohio, 

Oct. 6, 1914. 

My dear Grandchild, 

When I turned over the new leaf in my calendar 
to-day, I saw at a glance that somebody had drawn a 
heavy red mark around the figure six. " Who could 
have done that ? What does it mean ? " I thought. 
Suddenly I remembered. " O foolish Grandfather ! " 
I said to myself. " You put that mark there your- 
self, and you did it to remind you that October sixth 
is your grandchild's very own birthday. " 

So, my dear, I am sending you the inclosed five 
dollars. With it I want you to buy something you 
would like. I hope you will have a very happy birth- 
day and that on that day you will grow one year bigger, 
one year wiser, and one year better. 



i2o SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

When it is all over, write and tell me how you spent 
the day and what you bought with the money that I 
sent you. 

Your loving Grandfather, 

George Williams. 

Study Grandfather's letter. See how the 
heading is written. Tell yourself where and 
why every capital and mark of punctuation is 
used. 

Read the whole letter through carefully. 

What does Grandfather ask his grandchild to 
do ? 

Suppose you were that grandchild — your book 
does not say whether the grandchild was a boy or 
girl — what would you buy with the five dollars ? 

Between now and your next lesson, at which 
you will write an answer to Grandfather's letter, 
think just how you would spend your birthday, 
if you could plan it, and how you will answer 
the letter. 

XIII. ANSWERING GRANDFATHER'S LETTER 

You may write the answer to Grandfather's 
letter, telling him what he wanted to know ; also 
be sure to send your thanks and some kind or 
loving message. 



WRITING ORIGINAL LETTERS 121 

Write the heading from your own address,. 
For the date take October the seventh, the day 
after the birthday, as all such letters should be 
answered promptly. 

You should begin, 

Dear Grandfather, 
This is called the salutation. What mark should 
be placed after the salutation ? 

In writing the letter, think each sentence 
through to the end before you write one word 
of it. 

How will you end your letter ? 

XIV. CORRECTING LETTERS 

XV. WRITING ORIGINAL LETTERS 

Write a letter to a friend, answering one of 
the following questions, which are addressed to 
you : 

1. If you had one dollar, what would you do with 
it? 

2. If you could buy just one thing, what would 
you buy ? 

3. If you could go to just one place, where would 
you go ? 

4. If you could do just what you wished to do all 
day to-morrow, what would you do ? 



122 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Remember to make your heading exactly- 
right. Your letter need not be long, but it 
should be interesting. 

You should not excuse yourself , if you make 
one mistake in the use of capitals, or marks of 
punctuation, or in the arrangement of your letter 
on the paper. 



CHAPTER TWELVE 

PICTURE STORIES 

I. MAKING STORIES FROM A PICTURE 

On the following page there is a picture of a 
race. Look at it, think about it, and try to 
answer the following questions : 
. Which of the runners is rich ? Which is 
poor ? Perhaps the girl is a princess and the 
boy a poor shepherd boy. Think what else 
each may be. 

Who is judging the race? What tells you 
the judge is a king ? How is the king separated 
from the people who have come to watch the 
race ? How is the race course separated from 
the rest of the field ? 

Look at the faces of the onlookers. Which 
belong to the wealthy, or noble class? In 
whom will they be interested ? Which belong 
to the same class as the boy ? Perhaps they are 
related to him. 

Look at the eyes of the people in the picture. 
Are they all looking at the girl and boy who 

123 



MAKING STORIES FROM A PICTURE 125 

are running ? Do not some seem to be looking 
far ahead ? What do they see — the end of the 
race course, some other runners far in advance, 
some prize for the winner ? 

Why is the rich girl or princess racing with 
the poor boy ? Perhaps she claims to be the 
swiftest runner in the kingdom. If this be so, 
what reward will the boy have if he win the 
race ? What will happen if he lose ? Perhaps 
the poor boy has done something for which he 
is to be punished, as, taking wood from the king's 
forest to make a fire for some sick, or old, or 
helpless person ; or he may have killed one of 
the king's deer or birds to keep from starving. 
Either of these things would have been punished 
by death in the old days. Perhaps the king 
has given him a chance to escape punishment — 
by defeating the fleet princess in a race. Perhaps 
they are running for some great reward, as a 
purse of gold. In any of the above cases, whom 
will you have win ? Look again at the face 
of the girl. Is it not a good, kind face ? 
If winning the race will bring happiness or 
safety to the boy, do you not think she will like 
to have him win? What might she do to help 
him ? 



126 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Perhaps you would like to have the girl win. 
If so, why? 

Think the story through from the beginning 
and be prepared to tell it to the class. 

Choose a good title for your story. 

II. MORE PICTURE STORIES 

The children in this picture are running fast. 
What is the matter ? 

At what are the three children in the rear 
looking ? Is something chasing them, as a fierce 
dog or an angry bull ? Is that a thunder cloud in 
the distance ? Is it smoke from a fire ? Is it a 
giant, who has taken this form to terrify the 
children ? Is a giant or a witch or an evil 
dragon following the children, and has a good 
fairy spread the cloud to hide the children from 
the pursuer ? 

Make the story. Tell who the children are, 
where they have been, what they are doing, 
what frightened them, how they escaped. You 
may make a story that might be true, or you 
may make a fairy story. 

(i) If you make a story that might be true, you 
may have the children frightened by a coming thunder- 
storm — the dark clouds, the flashing lightning; or 




127 



128 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

they may see a barn or a haystack on fire and be 
running to warn the farmer (tell what started the fire) ; 
or you may have them running from some savage 
creature. 

(2) If you make a fairy story from this picture, 
then the children may be flying from some terrible 
creature you read of in fairy tales. Perhaps the smoke 
or cloud you see in the background is a genie that has 
been imprisoned for ages in a bottle or box that the 
children have found and opened. If so, will he do 
them harm, or will he reward them for setting him 
free ? 

III. STILL MORE PICTURE STORIES 

The last picture showed you some children 
running from something they feared. This 
picture shows a boy riding as fast as he can 
to some place. 

Make a story from this picture, telling where 
the boy is going and why, and if he reaches the 
journey's end in time. 

The following suggestions will help you : 

1. The boy is hurrying for a doctor. 

Is some one ill ? Has some one been hurt ? 
Who ? Where is the sufferer ? If some one 
has been hurt, how ? (A fall ? A railway 
accident? A logging accident? A mining 
accident ?) 




129 



130 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

2. The boy is riding to call the firemen. 

3. The boy is riding to warn the people of some 
danger. (An enemy marching on the town ? An 
Indian attack ? The bursting of a dam ? Forest fires?) 

IV. WRITING A PICTURE STORY 

Choose the picture in this chapter that inter- 
ests you most and write the story it tells you. 

V, CORRECTING AND COPYING PICTURE 

STORIES 



CHAPTER THIRTEEN 

PARAGRAPHS ; TOPICAL OUTLINES ; ORIGINAL STORIES ; 
LETTERS; PUNCTUATION 

I. THE PARAGRAPH 

The Bird Room 

When I began to be interested in birds, I lived in a 
city where not many besides English sparrows, were to 
be seen. I wanted to know something about our com- 
mon birds ; moreover, I never looked into a bird store 
without longing to let every poor little captive free. 

So I set up a Bird Room. Every fall, for several 
years, I went around to the bird stores in New York 
and Brooklyn, and bought all the stray American birds 
I could find. The dealers did not make a business of 
keeping our common birds, and now it is against the 
law to do so. They usually kept only such birds as 
canaries, parrots, and other regular cage birds ; but oc- 
casionally they would have a robin or bluebird or ori- 
ole tucked off in a corner, and these birds were the ones 
I bought. In one store I would find a catbird, moping 
on a high shelf or in a dark back room ; in another a 
bluebird scared half to death, and dumb in the midst 
of squawking parrots and singing canaries. 

In this way I collected in my Bird Room eight or 

131 



132 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

ten — usually — of our native birds, and always in pairs 
when I could get them. I put each one in a big cage, 
and left the doors open all day ; so that they had the 
freedom of a large room with three big windows and 
plenty of perches all about. 

Then I gave almost the whole of my time to taking 
care of them, and studying their ways through the win- 
ter ; and as soon as spring came, and birds began to 
come back from the South, I took my little captives, — 
those which were able to fly and I thought could take 
care of themselves, — carried them out into the country 
or a big park, and set them free. 

From True Bird Stories by Olive Thorne Miller 

In this little account of " The Bird Room' 
note that the author does not write all her sen- 
tences in one mass. She groups the sentences 
into paragraphs. 

How many paragraphs are there ? How can 
you tell ? Read again the first paragraph. 

In this paragraph the writer groups all the 
sentences that tell of her interest in the birds. 
How many sentences in this paragraph ? 

Read the second paragraph. 

In this paragraph the writer groups all the 
sentences that tell how she collected the birds 
for her bird room. How many sentences in 
this paragraph ? 



THE PARAGRAPH 133 

Re^l the third paragraph. 

In this paragraph the writer groups all the 
sentences that tell of the birds in the bird room. 
How many sentences in this paragraph ? 

Read the fourth paragraph. 

In this paragraph the writer tells how she 
cared for the birds. How many sentences in 
this paragraph ? 

A paragraph may contain one or any number 
of sentences ; but all the sentences in a paragraph 
must be about the same topic. 

This grouping of sentences into paragraphs 
helps to make the meaning clear — to make it 
easy to understand what is written. 

The w or d paragraph comes from a Greek word, 
meaning a line or stroke in the margin. The 
paragraph mark is generally made like this, ^[. 
Formerly this mark was used to call the reader's 
attention to a change of topic. Now, instead of 
making this mark, the writer or printer gener- 
ally indents the first line beginning a new topic, 
as you have seen in the selection above. The 
word paragraph has now come to mean, not 
the mark ^]~, but a group of sentences about a 
topic. 

The sign ^[ is still used, however, to show 



134 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

where a line should be indented to mark & new 
paragraph. So if you find this mark in the 
margin of your paper, you will know that 
you should make another paragraph at that 
place. 

If you were to write the topics of the para- 
graphs in "The Bird Room," your paper should 
be arranged as follows : 

The Bird Room 

1. My interest in birds. 

2. How I collected the birds. 

3. The birds in the bird room. 

4. How I cared for the birds. 

A paragraph is one or more sentences relating to 
one topic. 

II. MAKING PARAGRAPH TOPICS 

Read carefully the following paragraphs. 
Write the topic of each paragraph. Give a 
title to the whole. Arrange your work as 
above, " The Bird Room." 

Rivers, lakes, and the ocean present many beautiful 
views. You may have observed that in cities, where 
people plan for fine parks, they arrange, if possible, to 
have a lake or stream as part of the scenery. A body 



PARAGRAPH TOPICS 135 

of water, even if but a brook, greatly improves a 
view. 

A brook is a beautiful object. How pleasant to 
see its green banks, to listen to its rippling waters, and 
to watch its tiny rapids, whirlpools, and falls, as it 
travels onward to the ocean ! 

Rivers are not less attractive ; like the brooks, their 
rushing waters seem to tell a story, and one loves to 
linger by them, to listen and to look. At times, when 
swollen by floods, they are wild and savage ; again, 
they are quiet, peaceful, and beautiful. They wind in 
and out among the steep and wooded hills ; now they 
flow along noiselessly, then they rush over rapids and 
falls with a roar ; here their banks are low and green, 
there they are high, steep, and rocky. 

The lakes and the ocean are sparkling sheets of 
silvery water, often dotted here and there with white 
sails. Sometimes the color is green, again it is blue ; 
and when the clouds hang over it, it is dark and gloomy. 
There are beautiful sunrises and sunsets to watch ; and 
one can see the storms come and go, with the waves 
dashing into the whitest of foam. In fact, the water, 
the sky, and the coast are always changing in appear- 
ance, so that the lake shore and the seashore are among 
the most attractive of places. 

— Tarr and McMurry's Geographies 

III. LEARNING TO RECOGNIZE PARAGRAPHS 
BY THEIR CONTENTS — A LESSON WITH 
YOUR TEACHER 



136 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

IV. ORAL REPRODUCTIONS FROM ORIGINAL 

OUTLINES 

The First Voyage of Columbus 

For ten years Columbus endeavored to persuade 
some European government to send him on a voyage 
of discovery across the Atlantic Ocean. Finally Queen 
Isabella decided to fit out the expedition at the expense 
of her kingdom. 

In three months the expedition was ready to sail. 
But sailors were unwilling to go ; and Columbus had 
to drive some of them by force into the service. There 
were three ships, — the Santa Maria, the Pinta> and 
the Nina. 

They sailed from Palos August 3, 1492. 

It took them a month to reach the Canary Islands ; 
but after they had passed those, and found themselves 
on the lonely ocean at night, many of the sailors wept, 
and declared they never should return. Columbus 
quieted them, and they sailed on, day by day ; some- 
times hopeful and sometimes mutinous. Once the 
sailors plotted to throw Columbus overboard. Often 
they thought they saw signs of land ; once they were 
sure of it, and it proved only a cloud. At last land 
birds were seen and floating twigs with red berries, and 
a piece of wood rudely carved, and drifting seaweed, to 
which live crabs were clinging. Finally one evening 
at ten o'clock Columbus saw a light glimmering across 
the water ; and the next morning a gun was fired from 



ORAL REPRODUCTIONS 137 

one of the smaller vessels, as the signal agreed upon 
for " making land." It was a very welcome sound ; 
for they had been seventy-one days in crossing the 
ocean, which is now crossed by steamers in less than 
nine. 

We may imagine how Columbus felt, when, at day- 
break, he was rowed to the shore, with waving banners 
and to the sound of music, and when he stepped upon 
the beach where no European had ever before landed. 
He bore the great flag of Spain, gorgeous with red and 
gold ; and his captains bore each a green flag, inscribed 
with a cross. All knelt, and kissed the ground; then 
Columbus, rising, and drawing his sword, took pos- 
session of the island in the name of Spain, and called 
it " San Salvador." 

— Thomas Wentworth Higginson 

Make an outline of the story, " The First 
Voyage of Columbus," in the form given on 
page 134 ; write the title and under it, in order, 
topics suggestive of the contents of each para- 
graph. 

Close your book, and from your outline think 
out — say to yourself — the story of the first 
voyage of Columbus. 

Do not try to repeat the story in the author's 
words, but do try to tell the chief events re- 
corded in each paragraph. 



138 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

V. WRITTEN REPRODUCTIONS FROM ORIGI- 
NAL OUTLINES 

Read again " The First Voyage of Columbus." 
Close your book and from the outline you 

made at your last lesson, write the story. Do 

not try to remember the words of the book. 

Your outline tells you what happened and the 

order of events. 

Make your reproduction as simple and as 

interesting as the story in your book. 

VI. AN ORIGINAL STORY FROM A GIVEN 

OUTLINE 

Following is the outline of a story. The 
topic of each paragraph is given in a full sen- 
tence, which we may call a paragraph sentence. 

The Hunt 

i. Two men went hunting. 

Tell where, for what, what time of the year. 

2. To their surprise, they came across the tracks of 
a bear and determined to follow them. 

What did they say to show their surprise ? to 
show their determination to follow the tracks ? 

3. After walking some time, they discovered that 
they were traveling in a circle. 

How did they find this out ? What did they say ? 



WRITING ORIGINAL STORIES 139 

4. They separated to go in opposite directions 
around the circle. 

Why ? What did they say ? 

5. One man dropped his gun, and before he could 
recover it, found himself face to face with a great bear. 

How did he drop his gun ? Was it far away ? 
Did the bear appear friendly or otherwise ? 

6. The frightened hunter climbed a tree. 

Tell how he reached the tree, how he scrambled 
up. Did the bear follow ? What did Bruin do when 
the hunter climbed beyond his reach ? 

7. The second man appeared and rescued his friend. 
How did the second hunter come up? Did the 

one in the tree see him ? Did Bruin see him ? How 
did he rescue his friend ? 

Under each paragraph sentence are given 
questions or suggestions that will help you 
make up the whole paragraph. Be sure to 
put in each paragraph all that belongs there 
and nothing more. 

Try to make your story interesting and ex- 
citing. The last paragraph should be the best. 

VII. WRITING ORIGINAL STORIES FROM 
ORIGINAL OUTLINES 

In the story of" The first voyage of Columbus/' 
page 136, the author tells the story of the events 



140 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

in the exact order in which they occurred. 
He tells us that Columbus tried for years to 
get some country to send him on a voyage, 
that at last Spain came to his help, that he 
fitted out his ships and secured sailors, that he 
sailed, that he met dangers and hardships on 
the voyage, and, finally, that he landed in the 
new world. The author does not tell us first 
of the dangers of the voyage, then of the secur- 
ing of the ships ; nor does he tell of the landing 
and then go back and tell of the sailing. In 
telling or writing a story, the events are com- 
monly given in the order in which they occur. 
Here are some titles for stories : 

An Exciting Journey. 

A Visit. 

My First Fish. 

My First Day at School. 

An Automobile Ride. 

A Camping Party. 

A Picnic. 

Choose one of the above titles and write a 
story from it. It may be a true story — either 
an account of an experience of your own or 
of a friend, or you may make up the story. 

Before writing, make an outline, giving a 



WORDS IN A SERIES 141 

topic for each paragraph that you are going 
to write. Write the outline on a piece of scrap 
paper and keep it before you on your desk. 
In writing, follow your outline, being careful 
to put under each topic all the ideas that 
belong to that topic, and no others, just as 
you did in telling the story of " The Hunt." 
(See p. 138.) 

When you have finished, read your story 
through to see if you have grouped your sen- 
tences into paragraphs according to the topics 
in your outline. 

Read your story through once more to see 
if you have told the events in their right order 
— just as they happened. 

VIII. WORDS IN A SERIES 
Read the following sentences : 

1. Mary and Fannie and Tom and John are at 
the old homestead. 

2. They came to visit Grandfather and Grand- 
mother and Uncle Tom and Uncle Will. 

3. They love the old house and the big barn 
and the broad fields and the clean air. 

4. They love the good and kind and patient and 
old horses. 



142 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Which word is used too frequently in these 
four sentences ? 

Read the first sentence, omitting all but the 
last "and." 

Observe the slight pause you naturally make 
after each of the first three names. We show 
this pause in writing by a comma, thus : 

Mary, Fannie, Tom, and John are at the old home- 
stead. 

Read the second sentence, omitting every 
" and " but the last. 

In writing this sentence, what mark should 
be used in place of each " and " omitted ? A 
comma must also be used after " Uncle Tom," 
even though the " and " here is not omitted. 
This comma is used because you make a 
slight pause here. Read the sentence without 
making this pause and notice how odd it 
sounds. 

Read the third sentence, omitting every 
" and " but the last. 

In writing this sentence, what mark should 
be used in place of each " and " omitted ? 

Read the fourth sentence, omitting each "and" 
but the last. 



USES OF COMMAS — A REVIEW 143 

In writing this sentence, where should com- 
mas be used? 

In the first sentence above, " Mary," " Fan- 
nie/' " Tom," and " John " make a series of 
words ; they are all names of persons. 

In the fourth sentence above, " good," 
" kind," " patient," and " old " make a series of 
words ; these words all tell something about the 
horses. 

What series of words in the second sentence 
above ? What series in the third sentence ? 

The comma is used to separate the words of a 
series when the connecting word is omitted. 

Rewrite the above sentences, omitting all 
unnecessary " ands " and supplying commas 
when needed. 

IX. SUPPLYING COMMAS 
X. USES OF COMMAS — A REVIEW 
Read the following short story : 

"John, come here," called Mother one morning. 

" Yes, I am coming," replied John. " What do 
you want, Mother ? " 

" I want you to look at this room," said Mother. 

John looked around. Over the floor were scattered 
boots, skates, balls, books, and bedding. The bureau 



i 4 4 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

was buried beneath a mountain of ties, caps, collars, 
cuffs, and socks. 

" Have you had an earthquake here, my son ? " 
asked Mother. 

" Oh, no," replied John, cc I was looking for a 
collar button." 

Find all the commas in this story and tell 
why each is used. 

The new use of the comma that you learned 
in the last lessons occurs in the fourth paragraph. 
Study it in this way : 

There are commas after "boots," "skates," "balls," 
and " books," to separate these words in a series from 
each other, because the connecting word " and ,J is 
omitted. 

XL WRITING ORIGINAL SENTENCES 

Write an answer to each of the following 
directions or questions. Each answer must be 
a complete sentence. Be sure to separate from 
each other the words in a series when the con- 
necting word is omitted. 

Geography Test 

i. Name five farm products of the United States. 

2. Name three forms of water you have seen. 

3. Name four of the occupations of the people in 
your own town. 



A LETTER 145 

4. Name five ways in which you may travel. 

5. Which are the spring months? 

This little test is given to show you, not only 
that your knowledge of language can be used in 
your other studies, but that it should be so used. 
A child who, in answer to the first question 
above, writes " potatoes apples pears hay corn " 
has not answered the question. He has simply 
written five words that make no sense. 

XII. A LETTER 

One morning, Thomas Jones, a pupil in a 
sixth-year class in Boy ton, received the follow- 
ing letter : 

16 Mill St., 
Troy, N. Y., 
May 6, 1914. 
Dear Tom, 

Our teacher has asked us to write a short composition 
on a city .or town in which we have really lived. As 
my happiest days were spent in Boyton, I should like 
to write about that town. But the town has grown so 
since I moved away, that I am not sure of my facts. 
If it will not take too much of your time, will you 
please tell me what you can on any or all of the follow- 
ing topics: 

How did the town get its name ? 



146 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Are there any foreigners in your school ? If so, 
from what countries do they come ? 

' What are the chief occupations of the people ? 
If there is any manufacturing, what things are 
made ? 

Is there any place of historic interest or any interest- 
ing history story connected with the town ? If so, 
please tell me about it. 

If you will help me out, old friend, I shall be very 
grateful, and if at any time I can do something for 
you, it will give me great pleasure. 

Sincerely yours, 
John Thomas. 

Give reasons for the use of every capital and 
of every mark of punctuation in the heading. 

What is the topic in the first paragraph ? In 
each of the other paragraphs ? 

If this letter had been sent to you, instead of 
to Thomas Jones, how would you answer each 
question about your own town ? 

XIII. WRITING A LETTER 

Let us suppose that the letter on page 145 
was written to you, and you had to answer it. 

What heading would you make ? 

How many paragraphs would your letter 
require ? 



WRITING A LETTER 147 

You need not make topics for your paragraphs. 
John has given you topics in his letter. 

What will you say in your first paragraph ? 
Can you not say something to show that you, 
too, remember the happy days you spent with 
John in Boyton, and that you will be glad to 
help him ? 

What will you tell him in your second para- 
graph ? in your third ? in your fourth ? in your 
fifth? 

Suppose you did not know anything about 
one of John's topics, would it be polite to make 
no reference to it ? Would it not be better to 
write something, as, "I do not know of any 
place of historic interest in our town " ? 

In which paragraphs of your letter will you 
have to apply the rule for the use of the comma 
in series of words when the connecting word is 
omitted ? 

What might you say in your last paragraph ? 
Would it not be well to express a hope that 
the information you give may be what John 
wants ? 

Write an answer to John's letter. Keep your 
book open at John's letter while you write and 
answer it paragraph by paragraph. 



148 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

XIV. THE CONVERSATION PARAGRAPH 

The first two paragraphs in the story, " The 
Two Merchants/' on page 78, are : 

A Persian merchant, who had to go on a long 
journey, carried his treasure to a neighbor, saying: 
" My friend, I know that you are an honest man. 
Here is a hundred pounds of silver. Will you keep 
it for me until I return ? " 

" Certainly," replied the neighbor. " I will guard 
it with great care." 

In both paragraphs the writer is discussing the 
care of the treasure. In the first paragraph he 
has placed the conversation of the first merchant 
and the words that make the meaning of the 
conversation clear. 

In the second paragraph he has given the 
conversation of the second merchant and the 
words that tell who is speaking. 

In stories containing conversation, a paragraph is 
usually given to the words of each speaker each time 
that he speaks. 

When very brief descriptions or explanations 
accompany the words of a speaker, these de- 
scriptions or explanations are included in the 
paragraph with the speaker's words. 



WRITING AN ORIGINAL CONVERSATION 149 

In the first paragraph above, about " The 
Two Merchants/' what are the speaker's words ? 
What explanation accompanies them ? 

In the second paragraph, what are the speaker's 
words ? What explanation accompanies them ? 

Read the story, "The Two Merchants" (page 
78), telling the reason for each paragraph divi- 
sion ; that is, give the topic of each paragraph 
Try to give each topic in a complete sentence, 
thus : 

1. A Persian merchant, about to set off on a jour- 
ney, intrusted his treasure to a neighbor. 

2. The neighbor accepted the trust. 

3. Hoping the merchant would never return, he 
stole the treasure. 

4. After several months, the merchant called for his 
treasure. 

XV. WRITING AN ORIGINAL CONVERSATION 

Write the conversation, giving such brief de- 
scriptions or explanations as seem necessary, that 
you imagine to take place under any one of the 
following circumstances : 

1. A boy is trying to sell another boy something; 
as, a knife, a bicycle, a top, a book. 

2. A man is trying to buy something of another 
man ; as, a horse, a dog, a cart, an automobile. 



ISO SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

3. A clerk in a store is trying to sell something to 
some one — it may be an article of furniture, or it may 
be a piece of meat, vegetables, or groceries. 

4. A peddler, going from house to house, is try- 
ing to sell something to a woman who at first declares 
that she wants nothing, but finally buys something. 

If you prefer to write a conversation that you 
have really heard, instead of an imaginary one,' 
you may do so. 

Make a complete story, but keep it short. 
Have no more than eight paragraphs. If you 
can write it in less than eight paragraphs, do so G 

XVI. UNSTUDIED DICTATION — A TEST 



CHAPTER FOURTEEN 

ABOUT DESCRIPTIONS AND LETTERS; NOUNS, PRO- 
NOUNS, ADJECTIVES; THEIR CHOICE AND USE 

I. STUDYING A DESCRIPTION 

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the following 
description of Paris as it appeared one night after 
a heavy snow storm. Old Paris — and Steven- 
son is describing the Paris of the fifteenth century 
— was built on an island in the River Seine, and 
connected by bridges with the shores of the 
mainland. 

The whole city was sheeted up. An army might 
have marched from end to end and not a footfall given 
the alarm. If there were any belated birds in heaven, 
they saw the island like a large white patch, and the 
bridges like slim white spars on the black ground of 
the river. 

— From New Arabian Nights 

i. The Writers Viewpoint 

To see the picture properly, you must look at 
it from the writer's viewpoint. Imagine your- 
self, a belated bird flying over the city, looking 

151 



152 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

down on the island. Now can you see " the 
whole city sheeted up " — covered by the soft 
white sheet of snow ? Can you see the " white 
patch " of the island ? the " slim white spars " 
of bridges ? Can you see the black water — 
" the black ground of the river beneath the slim 
white spars " ? Why is the water black ? 

From this description can you draw an outline 
picture of the city ? 

Notice that the writer keeps one viewpoint, 
that of the bird hovering over the city. He does 
not describe the city first from the center, 
then from one of the bridges, then from across 
the river, then from above. No, indeed ; like 
the painter, he first takes a good position — a 
position from which he can get a good view ; 
then, from that one position, he paints his 
picture. 

In writing a description, keep the same view- 
point throughout. 

2. The Writer's Choice of Words and Expressions 

Notice how much the writer tells in a very 
tew words. In the one word "sheeted " he gives 
us the idea of "covered/ 5 "protected/ 5 "tucked 
away for the night/' and the idea of " whiteness/' 



STUDYING A DESCRIPTION ' 153 

The word " black/' used in describing the 
river, tells us that the river is not frozen. If it 
were, the snow would rest on the ice, and the 
river, too, would be " sheeted " in snow. When 
the river is not frozen, the snowflakes rest for 
but a second on the water and then melt and 
become part of the black ground of the river. 

Notice how the writer conveys the idea of the 
softness and depth of the snow, producing perfect 
silence. He does not say that the snow muffled 
the sound of passing footsteps. His expression 
is much stronger. The march of an army, the 
tramp of thousands of feet, is heard at a great 
distance, and is said, by those who have heard 
it, to be a sound to strike terror to the heart. 
So Stevenson makes us see and feel the depth and 
the softness of the snow, — there can be little 
freezing or the snow would crunch under foot, — 
when he tells us " an army might have marched 
from end to end and not a footfall given the 
alarm. " 

3. Why Stevenson's Description is Good 

Stevenson's description is good, because he 
makes us see just what he describes ; he succeeds 
in this, — 



154 * SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

i. Because he had in his own mind a clear, vivid 
picture. 

2. Because he described his picture from one view- 
point. 

3. Because he selected words and expressions that 
give exactly the picture he wanted us to have. 

II. WRITING A DESCRIPTION 

In one of his essays, Robert Louis Stevenson 
tells us how he learned to write. He says that 
all through his boyhood and youth he was try- 
ing to learn to write. He always carried two 
books in his pocket, one to read, one to write 
in. Whenever he read anything that pleased 
him, he tried to write something as good. He 
writes : 

"Description was the principal field of my exercise ; 
for to any one with senses there is always something 
worth describing, and town and country are but one 
continuous subject." 

Was not Stevenson's a good way to learn to 
write, — finding good models and trying to copy 
them ? And was he not right in practicing on 
descriptions? As he so truly says, no matter where 
one lives, he can always find something interest- 
ing to describe. Then, too, in all writing we 



SUBJECTS FOR DESCRIPTIONS 155 

need some kind of description. Read any chap- 
ter of almost any book and see how many short 
descriptions it contains. 

Below are given several subjects. Select one. 
Before describing the one you have selected, 

1. Close your eyes and get a good picture in your 
own mind. 

2. Think just where you would stand to take a 
good photograph of what you see in your mind. 

While you write, 

1. Keep the one viewpoint — the photographer's 
viewpoint — that you select. 

2. Choose words and expressions that tell exactly 
what you want the reader to see. 

3. Try to make your word picture as clear as 
Stevenson makes his description of Paris. 

4. Keep your description short. 

Subjects for Descriptions 

A Brook. 

A Busy Street Corner. 

Our Playground. 

The Prettiest Spot I Know. 

A Forest. 

A Flock of Sheep. 

A Team of Horses Drawing a Heavy Load. 

A Range of Mountains. 

A Bit of Seashore. 



156 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

III. NOUNS: COMMON AND PROPER 

Mark Twain and the Dictionary- 
One day, after listening to a very interesting sermon, 
Mark Twain said to the preacher : " That was an ex- 
cellent sermon you gave us this morning. I have 
every word of it in a book in my study." 

" In what book ? " cried the indignant parson. 
" I will send you a copy," replied Mark Twain. 
Next morning a messenger brought the book to 
the minister. He opened it and, to his surprise and 
great amusement, found it to be a copy of Webster's 
Dictionary ! 

Mark Twain spoke the truth. He had every 
word of the minister's sermon in his dictionary ; 
and so had the preacher every word of his ser- 
mon in his dictionary. But, in spite of that, 
the preacher had given much thought and skill 
to choosing and combining the words that he 
used ; had he not done this, his sermon would 
not have been interesting. 

So in your work, you have every word in the 
dictionary ; but if you would speak and write 
well, you must learn to choose and to combine 
words in the best way. This art can be learned 
only by studying words. To study all the words 
in the dictionary seems a huge task ; but when 



NOUNS: COMMON AND PROPER 157 

we learn that all these thousands of words can be 
divided into eight classes, it does seem possible, 
and even easy, to study some words of each class. 

Words are divided into these eight classes 
according to their use in sentences. These 
classes are called the Parts of Speech. 

In the following sentence, let us see what 
each word does. 

The plainest birds often sing most sweetly. 

" Plainest ' ' tells what kind of birds. 
" Birds " tells what sing. 
" Often " tells when the birds sing. 
" Sing " tells what the birds do. 
" Most " tells how sweetly. 
" Sweetly ' ' tells how the birds sing. 
Now let us study just one of the Parts of 
Speech. The word " birds M is a name. 

A word used as a name is called a noun. 

" Noun " means name. 

House, tree, ship, lamp, street, man, horse, 
cart, brook, and ocean are nouns because they 
are names. 

Think of ten nouns that are names of things 
in this room. 

Some names belong to particular persons, places, 



158 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

or things, John, Mary, Albany, Ohio, Lake 
Erie, Mount Hood, are examples of such names. 

The name of a particular person, place, or thing is 
called a proper name, or Proper Noun. 

Every Proper Noun should begin with a capital 
letter. 

Names that belong equally to each person or thing 
of a class are called common names, or Common 
Nouns. 

These are examples of common names, or 
Common Nouns : boy, girl, city, state, lake, 
mountain. 

The name "boy" belongs to, is common to, every 
boy; the name "girl" is common to every girl. 

To what is each one of the other names 
above — " city," " state," " lake," " mountain " 



common ? 






Nouns 


COMMON 


PROPER 


man 


Samuel White 


soldier 


Stonewall Jackson 


blacksmith 


William Sampson 


holiday 


Fourth of July 


river 


Mississippi 


ocean 


Atlantic 


steamship 


Lusitania 


hotel 


Savoy 



CHOOSING NOUNS THAT FIT 159 

Copy the following list of common nouns 
and place opposite each a proper noun that is 
a particular name of a person or thing of the 
class to which the common noun belongs. Re- 
member how proper nouns are written. 



poet 


magazine 


month 


king 


sailor 


battle 


day 


newspaper 


pupil 


cape 


street 


inventor 


teacher 


island 


discoverer 


president 


book 


school 


river 


college 



IV. CHOOSING NOUNS THAT FIT 

The Flag Goes By 

Hats off! 

Along the street there comes 

A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, 

A flash of color beneath the sky : 

Hats off! 

The flag is passing by ! 

— Henry Holcomb Bennett 

In the above stanza, the author speaks of a 
" blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums." Suppose 
he had said the music of bugles and the beat of the 
drums ; would you like those words as well ? 
Of course you would not. You not only like 
the sound of the words " blare " and " ruffle " 
better, you like these words for other reasons ; 



160 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

" blare " and " ruffle " bring so vividly to your re- 
membrance the sound of bugle and drum that you 
almost hear them, — you feel the martial music 
of the army. These words stir your heart, make 
you stand upright to greet the flag as it passes. 

In the next line the writer speaks of a " flash 
of color beneath the sky." What does he mean ? 
Does not that one word, " flash," let you see the 
flag in motion, not hanging limp, but waving 
proudly, as though alive ? 

To make your writing clear, to make it 
touch the heart as well as the understanding, 
to make it beautiful, you must use great care 
in selecting your nouns. Thus, we may talk 
of the cry of a bird, the chirp of a bird, the song 
of a bird, the twitter ', the call, the note, the peep 
of a bird. Each noun has a different meaning ; 
we must choose the one that means exactly 
what we wish to say. Supply as many nouns 
as you can in the following : 

Vocal noises made by a Vocal noises made by a 

child dog 



The cry 

The 

The 

The 



- of a child. 



The bark 

The 

The 

The 



of a dog. 



SELECTING NOUNS 161 

Copy the following paragraph, filling in each 
blank with the noun that best expresses your 
exact meaning : 

I wandered through the woods listening to the 

of a little brook. The of a robin sounded from 

a tree. The of a crow seemed to answer. In 

the distance I heard the of a dog and the 

of cattle. 

V. SELECTING NOUNS TO AVOID 
REPETITION 

In the story about Mark Twain (page 156), 
the man who preached the sermon is called 
" preacher/' " parson/' or " minister." In the 
same way, had the story been longer, instead 
of repeating the name " Mark Twain " over 
and over again, the writer might have re- 
ferred to Mark Twain as the " humorist/' the 
"joker," the "author," and the "speaker." 

Read the following paragraph : 

It was the fiercest battle in the war, as well as one 
of the fiercest battles in history. Only 1500 men 
were engaged in the battle, but each entered the battle 
with the determination to make it a decisive battle. 

Do you like the repetition of the word " battle " 
in this paragraph ? 



162 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Now read this paragraph : 

It was the fiercest fight in the war, as well as one of 
the fiercest combats in history. Only 1500 men were 
engaged in the conflict, but each one entered the con- 
test with the determination to make it a decisive battle. 

Does not the second paragraph sound better 
than the first ? Why ? 

What words have been used in place of 
" battle " ? 

It is seldom necessary to repeat a noun many 
times. For example, for " end " I may use : 

The close of the day. 

The last of the Indians. 

The goal of the race. 

The destination of the journey. 

The limit of time. 

The finish of the task. 

The terminus of the railroad. 

The conclusion of the speech. 

The completion of work. 

In your work, try to use a variety of nouns 
instead of repeating one or a very few. 
Write under each of these nouns, 

anger behavior noise gladness news 

all the nouns that mean nearly the same in the 
following list : 



THE PRONOUN 163 



wrath 
tidings 


conduct 
-hubbub 


rage 
clatter 


glee 
din 


deportment 
information 


mirth 


racket 


rumor 


fury 


merriment 



VI. THE PRONOUN 

In the last lesson we learned that we can 
make our language better by using a variety 
of nouns instead of repeating the same noun 
many times. There is another way in which 
we can avoid repeating a noun. Read the 
following sentence : 

As John was running to John's house, John met 
John's friend. 

Here the noun " John " is repeated four 
times. 

Now read the sentence : 

As John was running to his home, he met his 
friend. 

Does not this sentence sound better? This 
time, instead of using a variety of nouns in place 
of the noun " John," we have used another 
part of speech for the noun. 

A word used for a noun is called a pronoun. 

Pro means for: pronoun means for a noun. 



164 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

i. Pronouns Most Used 

In speaking of yourself, you may use, instead 
of your common name, boy or girl, or your 
proper name, the pronouns I", my or mine, and 

me. 

I lost the book. 
It is my book. 
The book is mine. 
Give the book to me. 

In speaking of yourself and others, you may 
use the pronouns we, our or ours, and us 

We went to the country. 
Our trunks were lost. 
The lost trunks were ours. 
Grandfather met us. 

In speaking to some one, you may use the 
pronouns you, and your or yours. 

Is this your book ? 
Is it yours? 
Tou may have it. 

In speaking of others, you may use the pro- 
nouns she, her, hers, he, his, him, they, their or 
theirs, and them. 

She has finished her work. 
He must finish his work. 



THE PRONOUN 165 

I gave the book to her and the pencil to him. 

They like their presents. 

She likes hers y he likes his, and they like theirs. 

In speaking of objects, you may use the pro- 
nouns, it and its. 

It is John's book. 

I know it by its torn cover. 

2. Mistakes in the Use of Pronouns 

Some people find only two things hard to 

remember about pronouns. Sometimes they 

write ifs for its. It's is a contraction and stands 

for it is. The pronoun its needs no apostrophe. 

Have you ever heard a baby say, " Me want 

to go " ? You laugh at the baby for saying me 

for i", but babies are not the only ones who use 

me for i*. The boy or girl who says, 

It is me, for It is /, 

It was him, for It was he, 
It was her, for It was she, 

is using language just as incorrectly as the baby 
who says, " Me want to go." 
Repeat until memorized, — 

It is I I am he It was I 

It is he I am she It was he 

It is she We are they It was she 

It is they It is we It was they 



166 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

After the words am, is, are, and was, use / (not 
me), he (not him), she (not her), they (not them). 

3. Practice in the Use of Pronouns 

Where there is a blank in the following sen- 
tences, supply the right pronoun : 

One day the Man in the Moon went to visit 
Mother Goose's children. He asked many questions. 
" Which is Bo-Peep ? " he asked. 

"I am ," replied Bo-Peep. 

" Are you Jack Horner ? " 

" No, I am not . See my horn." 

" Are you Boy Blue ? " 

" Yes, I am ." 

" Is that pair Jack and Jill ? " 

" Yes, that pair is ." 

" Are you the children who fell down the hill ? " 

"Yes, we are ." 

" What is the matter with those kittens ? " 

" It was who lost their mittens." 

" Do you know Jack Sprat ? " 

" Oh, yes, it is who can eat no fat." 

" Do you know his wife ? " 

" Yes, it is who can eat no lean." 

" Do you know the Three Wise Men of Gotham ? " 

" Yes, it was who went to sea in a tub." 

" Is that Mother Hubbard at the door ? " 

" It may be . I will look. No, it is not 



ADJECTIVES 167 

VII. ADJECTIVES 

1. The boy questioned me with his eyes. 

2. The boy questioned me with his two hungry, 
wistful, blue eyes. 

From which of the above sentences do you 
get a better picture of the boy's eyes ? Why ? 

Which words were added in the second sen- 
tence to describe the noun " eyes " ? Which 
word tells how many eyes ? 

A word joined to a noun or pronoun to limit or 
describe it, is called an adjective. 

Adjective means added to. 

Different Things That Adjectives Do 

Some adjectives, as the, this, that, first, serve 
to point out. 

The book. " The " serves to point out book. 
That girl. " That " serves to point out which girl. 
This boy. "This" serves to point out which boy. 
The first page. " First " serves to point out which 
page. 

Some adjectives tell how much, or how many. 

More gold. " More " tells how much gold. 
Fifty dollars. " Fifty " tells how many dollars. 



168 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Some adjectives describe. 

Soft, white, feathery flakes of snow. 

" Soft," " white," and " feathery " describe the flakes. 

Here are several adjectives that may be used 
to describe hair : 

Soft, coarse, fine, dark, light, fair, black, white, 
golden, brown, gray, curling, straight, rough, smooth, 
combed, uncombed, tangled, matted, wavy. 

Can you add any adjectives to this list ? 

i. Write a list of adjectives that might be used to 
describe eyes. 

2. Write a list of adjectives that might be used to 
describe lips. 

VIII. COMPARISONS 

Sometimes the description of an adjective is 
emphasized, or made more vivid, by a com- 
parison. 

i. It was cold. 

2. It was as cold as winter. 

3. It was as cold as Greenland. 

The coldness of the second and third sentences 
is much stronger and more vivid than that of 
the first. It may almost make us shiver to think 
of winter and of Greenland. 



COMPARISONS 169 

So the idea of heat may be emphasized and 
made more vivid. 

1. It was a hot day. 

2. It was as hot as midsummer. 

3. It was as hot as a furnace, or an oven. 

In which of the above sentences do you feel 
the heat most ? Why ? 

If we would be sure that a comparison will 
serve its purpose, we must use objects of com- 
parison that are well known and that are dis- 
tinguished by the quality compared. If you 
had never seen or heard of a furnace or an oven, 
the comparison above would mean nothing to 
you ; if you have been pained or burned by the 
heat of a furnace or an oven, you actually feel 
the force of this comparison. 

Our language is full of comparisons. Here 
are some that are often used : 

1. Common Comparisons 

Blind as a bat. Strong as Samson. 

Spry as a cricket. Fleet as a deer. 

Rich as Croesus. Hoarse as a frog. 

Old as Methuselah. Clean as a whistle. 

Poor as a church mouse. Busy as a bee. 

Hungry as a wolf. Happy as a lark. 

Gentle as a dove. Wise as an owl. 



170 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

2. Original Comparisons 

By over use, comparisons may lose their force. 
New, original comparisons are frequently made 
by interesting speakers and writers ; the newness 
of their comparisons helps to make their language 
interesting. 

Try making original comparisons by filling 
the blanks below. 

Blue as White as 

Red as Pure as 

Sweet as Old as 



Soft as Young as 

Green as Brave as - 

Timid as True as - 

Quick as Slow as — 



3. Explaining by Comparison 
A comparison may sometimes be used to 
make clear the meaning of an adjective rather 
than to emphasize it. For example, if you do 
not know the color, cerulean, it would help you 
to be told that it is like the sky. 

That a comparison may serve to make clear an 
adjective not understood, the hearer or reader 
must not only know the object compared, but 
he must know and think of the particular quality 
of that object that is to make clear to him the 



DESCRIPTIONS OF PEOPLE 171 

meaning of the adjective that he does not under- 
stand. This is illustrated in the following story : 

Questions of a Blind Man 

A man blind from his birth asked one who 
could see, " What is the color of milk ? " 

The latter replied, " The color of milk is like white 
paper." 

The blind man asked, " Does white, then, rustle in 
the hands like paper ? " 

The man who could see replied, " No, it is simply 
white like a rabbit." 

The blind man then asked, " Then is it downy and 
soft like a rabbit ? " 

The man who could see replied, " No, white is a 
color exactly like snow." 

The blind man asked, " And is it cold like snow?" 

And in spite of all the comparisons that the man 
who could see made, the blind man was wholly unable 
to apprehend what the color of milk really was. 

— Lyof Tolstoy 

Why could not the blind man get. the correct 

mind picture of the color white ? 

IX. DESCRIPTIONS OF PEOPLE 

The New Scholar 
One frosty morning in December there appeared 
among the new scholars a strange little fellow, with a 
large head, long straight hair, an emaciated body, and 



172 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

legs that looked like reeds, they were so slender. His 
clothes were worn and patched, and he had the look of 
having been frostbitten. He could not have been more 
than ten years old, to judge by his size, but there 
was a look of premature oldness in the face. 

— Edward Eggleston 

In The Hoosier Schoolboy 

What adjectives and comparisons are used to 
describe this boy — his head ? his hair ? his 
body ? his legs ? his clothes ? 

Horace Greeley 

He saw standing before him a boy apparently about 
fifteen years of age, of a light, tall, and slender form, 
dressed in the plain, farmer's cloth of the time, his 
garments cut with an utter disregard of elegance or fit. 
His trousers were exceedingly short and voluminous; 
he wore no stockings ; his shoes were of the kind de- 
nominated " high-lows," and much worn down ; his hat 
was of felt, " one of the old stamp, with so small a 
brim that it looked more like a two-quart measure in- 
verted than anything else," and it was worn far back 
on his head ; his hair was white, with a tinge of orange 
at its extremities, and it lay thinly upon a broad fore- 
head and over a head " rocking on shoulders which 
seemed too slender to support the weight of a member 
so disproportioned to the general outline." 

— James Parton 
In The Life of Horace Greeley 



DESCRIPTIONS OF PEOPLE 173 

The above is the description of one of the 
greatest newspaper men of America. What is 
there in the description that makes you think 
the boy will amount to something ? 

What adjectives are used to describe his form? 
his trousers ? 

You know what a low shoe is, and you know 
what a high shoe is. What do you think a 
" high-low " is ? 

Can you draw a picture of the boy's hat from 
the description ? 

What has the author made to stand out most 
clearly in this description, that is, what in the 
boy impresses the author as most unusual ? 

Harold or Mealy Jones 

His mother named him Harold, and named him 
better than she knew. He was just such a boy as one 
would expect to see bearing a heroic name. 

He had big, faded blue eyes, a nubbin of a chin, 
wide, wondering ears, and freckles, — such brown 
blotches of freckles, — on his face and neck and hands, 
such a Milky Way of them across the bridge of his snub 
nose, that the boys called him " Mealy," and Mealy 
Jones it was to the end. 

— William Allen White 

In The Court of Boyville 



174 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Harold means a champion or a general of an 
army. Now, why does the author talk of Harold 
as a heroic name ? When you think of a great 
hero, a champion, do you think of a snub-nosed 
boy with light blue eyes and freckles ? Does 
the writer really think this boy was the kind of 
boy to bear a heroic name ? Do you know any 
boy or girl whose name does not seem to fit ? 

Did you ever see the Milky Way, the " broad 
white road in heaven/' crowded so with stars 
that you cannot see them apart ? How was the 
band of freckles over the boy's nose like the 
Milky Way ? Why did the boys call him Mealy ? 
What adjectives are used to describe the boy's 
eyes ? his ears ? 

Read again the descriptions of all three boys 
— "The New Scholar," "Horace Greeley," 
and " Mealy Jones." Hold before your mind 
the picture of all three boys at once. Can you 
see each one so plainly, and does each one look 
so different from the others, that you could paint 
them, were you an artist? Could you paint 
them so differently that any one could at once 
recognize each boy ? 

Do you know any boy that the first descrip- 
tion fits ? Whom does the second description 



DESCRIPTIONS OF PEOPLE 175 

fit ? the third ? Just think of these boys, do not 
tell who they are. 

Mr. Wegg 

There was a broad, round-shouldered old fellow, 
comically ambling toward the corner. He wore thick 
shoes, and thick leather gaiters, and thick gloves. 
Both as to his dress and as to himself he was of an 
overlapping, rhinoceros build, with folds in his cheeks, 
and his forehead, and his eyelids, and his lips, and his 
ears; but with bright, eager gray eyes under his ragged 
eyebrows and broad-brimmed hat, — a very odd-look- 
ing old fellow altogether. 

— Charles Dickens 

Above is a description of an old man. Can 
you see him ? How does he walk ? If you 
had to describe him in one word, what word 
would you use ? The old man's clothes and 
himself made the writer think of a rhinoceros. 
Have you ever seen a rhinoceros ? If not, you 
surely have seen a picture of one. What kind 
of skin has he ? Have you ever seen any one in 
folds — skin and clothes that made you think of 
a rhinoceros ? 

The King of the Golden River 

It was the most extraordinary-looking little gentle- 
man. He had a very large nose, slightly brass-col- 



i 7 6 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

ored ; very round and very red cheeks ; merry 
eyes, long hair, and mustaches that curled twice round 
like corkscrews on each side of his mouth. He was 
four feet six inches high, and wore a pointed cap as 
long as himself. It was decorated with a black feather 
about three feet long. Around his body was folded 
an enormous black, glossy-looking cloak much too 
long for him. 

— John Ruskin 

Can you see this little old gentleman, with his 
large nose, red cheeks, and merry eyes ? Can 
you see his strange-appearing mustaches and his 
queer clothes ? 

The four descriptions before this were of real 
people. You may have seen folks just like any 
one or all of them. Is this last the description 
of a real man ? Do you know who he was ? 

Grandmother 

Grandmother is very old ; she has many wrinkles, 
and her hair is quite white ; but her eyes, which are 
still as bright as two stars and even more beautiful, 
look at one in a kind and friendly way, and it does one 
good to gaze into them. Then, too, she can tell the 
most charming stories, and she has a gown with great 
big flowers worked upon it, and it is made of good, 
heavy silk that rustles. 

— Hans Christian Andersen 



DESCRIPTION OF A PERSON 177 

Can you see this picture of the dear grand- 
mother ? Where is she in your picture ? What 
is she doing ? knitting ? telling stories ? to 
whom ? 

Does Hans Christian Andersen love the old 
grandmother he is describing ? Do you know 
any dear old lady that this describes ? 

Which of the six people whose descriptions 
have been given did the authors like ? Which 
did they not like ? Of which did they make 
fun? 

Which description is most like some one you 
know ? Which description gives you the best 
picture ? 

In which description has the author used the 
most adjectives ? In which has the author used 
comparisons ? 

X. WRITING A DESCRIPTION OF A PERSON 

Write a description of a boy or girl in this 
room. Make your description kind — just as 
kind as Hans Christian Andersen's description 
of the dear Grandmother, — but make it funny 
if you can do so without hurting any one's feel- 
ings. 

Before beginning to write, look closely at the 



178 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

pupil you are going to describe, but do not stare 
at any one. Think what adjectives or comparisons 
best describe the hair, the eyes, the face, the fig- 
ure, the dress. Do not mention the name of 
the person you are describing. 

To-morrow you may be asked to read your 
description aloud. Your classmates will then 
try to tell from your description whom you had 
in your mind while you wrote. Make your de- 
scription so clear that pupils will know whom 
you are describing ; do not leave them to guess. 

XL READING AND CRITICISING DESCRIPTIONS 

XII. SELECTING ADJECTIVES 
Read the following stanza : 

The Sandman comes across the land, 

At evening, when the sun is low : 
Upon his back, a bag of sand — 

His step is soft and slow. 
I never hear his gentle tread, 

But when I bend my sleepy head, 
"The Sandman's coming ! " Mother says, 

And Mother tells the truth always ! 

— Marie Van Vorst 

What a quiet, restful feeling this gives one if 
properly read ! It is the close of the day, just 



SELECTING ADJECTIVES 179 

dusk, the sun is " low." It is the adjective 
" low " that tells us what time of evening it is. 

The two adjectives "soft" and "slow" describe 
the steps of the Sandman. Can't you see him 
stealing softly and slowly to the tired baby ? 

What adjective in the next line describes his 
step or tread ? 

In the next line what adjective describes 
" head " ? Can you see the little head drooping 
and the eyes half closed ? 

The writer gives us this idea of peace, of 
rest, of slumber, by selecting and using adjectives 
that really describe the picture as she sees it. 
Read slowly the adjectives she has used — " low/' 
" soft/' " slow," " gentle," " sleepy." Are they 
not well chosen for a Sandman's song ? 

Oftentimes people are careless about the 
selection of the right adjectives. Then their 
speech and writing grow tiresome. Every one 
wearies of hearing the same word repeated again 
and again. There is no reason why one should 
do this. Remember, like Mark Twain, you 
have all the adjectives in your dictionary. 

For the word " bold " I may use : 

A daring robbery. A valiant knight. 

A fearless rider. A valorous champion. 



180 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

A manly deed. A courageous act. 

A plucky fight. A heroic rescue. 

A brave soldier. A gallant leader. 

Write under each of these adjectives, 

foolish, bright, merry, careless, 

all the adjectives in the following list that mean 
nearly the same : 

thoughtless sparkling silly joyous 

scatter-brained shining sunny heedless 

brilliant gleaming j°Uy gay 

inattentive frolicsome absurd unwise 

Add to these lists other adjectives with nearly 
the same meaning. 

There are three adjectives that some children 
use over and over in their talk and writing — 
pretty, good, and nice. 

While they make themselves understood, these 
words do not always express their exact mean- 
ing ; moreover, their frequent repetition is tire- 
some to listeners and readers. 

On the next page, underneath each of these 
words, is given a list of words, some one of 
which can often be used to advantage instead 
of the overused word. 



SELECTING ADJECTIVES 



181 



pretty 



good 



nice 



beautiful 


right 


dainty 


fair 


kind 


particular 


good-looking 


true 


refined 


handsome 


pious 


elegant 


lovely 


perfect 


attractive 


bonny 


dutiful 


appetizing 


charming 


honest 


considerate 


pleasing 


honorable 


delightful 


neat 


just 


agreeable 



There are still other words that should be 
used at times, rather than any of the above words. 
Just when any one of these or any other word 
should be used, this book cannot tell you, as it 
will depend on what you want to describe. 
Whenever you are in doubt about what word to 
use, ask your teacher. 

You must also form the habit of consulting a 
dictionary. Suppose you want to avoid the use 
of the word awful, — another word often over- 
used and misused, — but cannot think of a suitable 
word in its place. Look up awful in a dictionary ; 
there you will find some, or all, of these words : 
fearful, frightful, horrible, shocking, terrible, 
terrific, dreadful, appalling. Probably some one 
of these words will express your meaning. 



1 82 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

XIII. A LETTER CONTAINING A DESCRIPTION 

Persons frequently describe to me some bird they 
have seen or heard and ask me to name it, but in most 
cases the bird might be one in a dozen, or else is 
totally unlike any bird found on this continent. 

— John Burroughs 

Why do people describe birds so poorly ? 
Probably for these reasons. First, they do not 
look carefully, do not see the bird as he really is, 
and so do not get an accurate picture in their 
own minds ; and secondly, they do not use 
language that describes exactly the picture that 
they do form in their own minds. 

Here is a test for you : 

Mr. John Morton is an old friend of your father, but 
he has never seen you. He has written a letter inviting 
you to spend a week on his yacht. You are to travel 
to New York alone. Mr. Morton will meet you at 
the Grand Central Terminal. As he has never seen 
you, he has asked you to describe yourself, just as you 
will appear when he meets you. 

Write your answer to Mr. Morton. First, 
thank him for the invitation, which you accept. 
Tell him when your train is due at the Grand 
Central Terminal. Then give as perfect a de- 
scription of yourself as possible. Remember, if 



DESCRIPTIONS 183 

he fails to recognize you, you may find your- 
self adrift in the city. 

XIV. TESTING DESCRIPTIONS 

XV. DESCRIPTIONS TO EXPRESS BEAUTY 

Write a short description of one of the follow- 
ing objects or scenes. Try to make your de- 
scription accurate, but, at the same time, try 
especially to bring out the beauty of that which 
you are describing. You can do this by select- 
ing the right nouns and adjectives, and perhaps 
by making comparisons. 

A flower (Choose your A bird (Choose one). 

own flower). A dress. 

A fairy (Fairy queen, The sky (A starry night). 

elf, flower fairy, wood Moonlight on the water. 

nymph, water nymph). A garden. 

A cloud picture. A waterfall. 

XVI. DESCRIPTIONS TO MAKE CLEAR 

In the last exercise you tried especially to 
bring out the beauty of that which you described. 
In this exercise you are to try especially to make 
your description clear ; to be clear, it must be 
accurate and complete. You will need here, also, 
to select your nouns and adjectives with care, but 



1 84 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

you will find that you need nouns and adjectives 
quite different from those used in your description 
to express beauty. 

Write a brief description of any one of the 
following objects. Make your description just 
as clear and exact as you can. 

A desk. A knife. 

A chair. A hand bag. 

A table. A carriage. 

A load. A garden. 

A coat. A tree. 

XVII. A REVIEW 

You have learned about three of the eight 
classes of words, or Parts of Speech. 
You have learned that — 

i. A word that names a person or thing is called a 
noun. 

2. A word used for a noun is called a pronoun. 

3. A word used to limit or describe a noun is called 
an adjective. 

(a) From the following sentences select the 
nouns, pronouns, and adjectives and write them 
in three columns. 

One cold night in winter a little boy looked up at 
the shining stars. 



A REVIEW 



185 



" How bright and beautiful they are," he said ; " I 
never saw such golden stars before." 

Before beginning to write, find a pronoun that 
is used for stars ; two pronouns used for boy. 

(^) Write five adjectives that may be used to 
describe each of the following nouns : 



► Snowflakes, 



> Violets. 



(c) Make as many comparisons as you can to 
bring out the full meaning of the adjectives and 
nouns that you have written under (/£). For 
instance, you may have written, " light snow- 
flakes " and " blue violets " ; these you might 
change into such comparisons as the following : 

The snowflakes were as light as down. 
The snowflakes were as light as feathers. 
The violets are as blue as the sky. 
The violets are as blue as sunlit pools. 

(*/) Make comparisons of things that are like 
the adjectives and nouns that you have written 
under (^), as, — 

The petals of the blossoms fell light as snowflakes. 
Baby's eyes are as blue as violets. 



CHAPTER FIFTEEN 

POEMS, COMPOSITIONS: VERBS, ADVERBS 

L A POEM TO STUDY 

+ 

In the last chapter you studied the first stanza 
of "The Flag Goes By." Here is the whole 
poem, a poem every American should know : 

The Flag Goes By 

(i) Hats off! 

Along the street there comes 

A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, 

A flash of color beneath the sky : 

Hats off! 

The flag is passing by ! 

(2) Blue and crimson and white it shines, 
Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines. 
Hats off! 

The colors before us fly ! 

But more than the flag is passing by : 

(3) Sea fights and land fights, grim and great, 
Fought to make and to save the State : 
Weary marches and sinking ships ; 
Cheers of victory on dying lips ; 

186 



A POEM TO STUDY 187 

(4) Days of plenty and years of peace ; 
March of a strong land's swift increase ; 
Equal justice, right, and law, 

Stately honor and reverend awe ; 

(5) Sign of a nation, great and strong, 

To ward her people from foreign wrong : 
Pride and glory and honor, — all 
Live in the colors to stand or fall. 

(6) Hats off! 

Along the street there comes 

A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums ; 

And loyal hearts are beating high : 

Hats off! 

The flag is passing by ! 

— Henry Holcomb Bennett 
Second Stanza 

Re-read the second stanza. Usually we speak 
of the flag's colors as red, white, and blue. How 
has the poet named them ? Why do you think 
he has changed the usual order ? Imagine you 
are standing on the sidewalk watching the ad- 
vance of the flag, blown in the wind — what 
color would strike the eye first ? Read the line, 
saying red for crimson. Do you like it as well ? 

Perhaps the poet gave the colors as they 
really met his eye. Perhaps he just liked the 
sound of the words as he used them. 



1 88 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

In the second line, what is meant by the 
" steel-tipped, ordered lines " ? Can you see 
and hear the regular march, march, of the 
soldiers ? If so, you will read it so that those 
who listen can see and hear it also. 

The rest of the stanza tells us that in taking 
off their hats the onlookers do more than show 
reverence to the flag itself — for "more than 
the flag is passing by." By " more " is meant 
the things for which the flag stands, the things 
that make the flag to be cherished and loved. 
Some of these things are mentioned in the three 
following stanzas. Read the stanzas and tell 
what these things are. 

Third Stanza 

In the third stanza is painted the dark and 
the bright side of war. In the first line, 
" Sea fights and land fights, grim and great," 
the two words "grim" and "great" bring out 
the thought ; grim because of the horror and 
sufferings wrought : great because of the cour- 
age, the high spirit of the men. 

In the third and fourth lines we read of 
" weary marches and sinking ships," surely a 
sad picture ! Old soldiers will tell you that the 



A POEM TO STUDY 189 

long, weary marches are harder, try the souls 
of men more, than the active fighting. In the 
fourth line comes the glory — " cheers of vic- 
tory on dying lips." Can you imagine the 
hundreds of brave soldiers who have fallen, and 
turned their dying eyes to see if the " colors " 
are still flying, and cheered their comrades on 
to full victory ? If you can, you will never 
look at the flag without feeling your heart stir 
within you. 

Fourth and Fifth Stanzas 

The fourth and fifth stanzas tell of days of 
peace and plenty, of justice and of progress and 
safety because we live under the flag. Even 
to-day, are the peoples of all lands enjoying such 
safety and prosperity ? 

Sixth Stanza 

In the last stanza we read — " And loyal 
hearts are beating high." Do you know why ? 
Is it not because they see, not only the flashing 
colors, but all that the flag really stands for ? 
because they see and feel as the writer of this 
poem sees and feels ? 

Now read the poem again and show by your 



i 9 o SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

manner of reading it that you understand the 
meaning of the words and the meaning of the 
flag. 

II. THE FLAG 

Write a short composition on one of the fol- 
lowing subjects : 

i. The flag, telling what the flag stands for. 

2. A story about the flag ; this story may be one 
you have read in your history or elsewhere, or you 
may write an original story. 

3. An account of the different flags that have been 
used in this land. 

4. Flag customs — when raised, when lowered, 
when at half mast, the different naval flags and their 
use, etc. 

III. MEMORIZING THE POEM, "THE FLAG 

GOES BY" 

Do not try to memorize this poem (page 186) 
by reading it silently over and over. Read it 
aloud. Poetry is written to be read aloud. 

IV. VERBS 

In reading the following poem, emphasize the 
underlined words : 



VERBS 191 

The Brook's Song 

I come from haunts of coot and hern, 

I make a sudden sally, 
And sparkle out among the fern, 

To bicker down a valley. 

By thirty hills I hurry down, 
Or slip between the ridges, 
By twenty thorps, a little town, 
And half a hundred bridges. 

Till last by Philip's farm I flow 

To join the brimming river, 
For men may come and men may go, 

But I go on forever. 

I chatter over stony ways, 

In little sharps and trebles, 
I bubble into eddying bays, 

I babble on the pebbles. 

With many a curve my banks I fret 

By many a field and fallow, 
And many a fairy foreland set 

With willowweed and mallow. 

I chatter, chatter, as I flow 

To join the brimming river, 
For men may come and men may go, 

But I go on forever. 



192 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

I wind about, and in and out, 
With here a blossom sailing, 

And here and there a lusty trout, 
And here and there a grayling, 

And here and there a foamy flake 

Upon me, as I travel 
With many a silvery water break 

Above the golden gravel, 

And draw them all along, and flow 
To join the brimming river, 

For men may come and men may go, 
But I go on forever. 

I steal by lawns and grassy plots, 

I slide by hazel covers ; 
I move the sweet forget-me-nots 

That grow for happy lovers. 

I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance, 
Among my skimming swallows ; 

I make the netted sunbeams dance 
Against my sandy shallows. 

I murmur under moon and stars 
In brambly wildernesses; 

I linger by my shingly bars ; 
I loiter round my cresses ; 



VERBS 193 

And out again I curve and flow 

To join the brimming river, 
For men may come and men may go, 

But I go on forever. 

— Tennyson 

Read the underlined words with the pronoun 
/ (meaning the brook) before each. 



I come 


I go 


I slide 


I make 


I chatter 


I move 


I sparkle 


I bubble 


I gloom 


I bicker 


I babble 


I glance 


I hurry 


I fret 


I murmur 


I slip 


I wind 


I linger 


I flow 


I travel 


I loiter 


I join 


I draw 
I steal 


I curve 



Here are twenty-five different words that tell 
what the brook does. 

These words are called verbs, another one 
of the eight classes of words, or Parts of Speech. 

Words that tell what some one or something does 
are called verbs. 

Verb means word. The word in the sentence 
that tells what is done is called the verb — the 
word — because it is the most important word 
in the sentence. 



i 9 4 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

A verb alone may be a complete sentence. 
A mother talking to her child may say the 
noun "son," but with this word she does not 
make a sentence, she does not express a thought. 
She may add a pronoun and an adjective and 
say, " my little son," — still she does not make a 
complete sentence. But if she uses only the 
one verb, " come," she makes a complete sen- 
tence, she expresses her thought to the boy. 
He knows she means, " Son, come to me," or 
" Son, come with me," and he obeys her. 

So if some one says to you " go," " stand," 
"march," "sit," "run," "jump," "sing," you 
get the speaker's thought and can obey because 
you understand the whole thought. Commands 
are often so given to save time. Usually the word 
"you" is understood ; as, "You go," "You stand." 

V. FINDING VERBS 

Make a list of the verbs in the following 
paragraph : 

The wind whistled through the woods. The leaves 
whispered softly. The birds sang aloud. The little 
flowers bent their heads. The grass rippled silently. 
The ferns swayed gently. All listened to the wind's 
merry tune. 



VARIETY IN USE OF VERBS 195 

Ask yourself what is told in each sentence ; as, 

What did the wind do ? 

The word that tells what the wind did is the 
verb. 

What did the leaves do ? 

The word that tells what the leaves did is the 
verb. 

Now give the verb in each sentence and tell 
why it is a verb ; as, 

The verb in the first sentence is " whistled," because 
it tells what the wind did. 

VI. VARIETY IN THE USE OF VERBS 

In " The Brook's Song " the poet used 
twenty-five different verbs to tell what the 
brook did. Suppose he had used but a few of 
the common words that we use most frequently, 
such as " flow " and " run," would the poem 
be as pleasing to the ear ? Would the picture 
of the little brook be as clear as he has made it ? 
What other verbs do you know that might be 
used to tell the action of running water ? 

Make lists of all the verbs you know that 
might be used to tell something that the follow- 
ing do : 



196 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

The wind. A snake. 

The stars. A train. 

A tiger. A bird. 

Write them out like this : 

blows. 
The wind \ sighs. 

shrieks. 

VII. SELECTING SUITABLE VERBS 

Here is a description of a rainy night. Some 
verbs have been omitted. Fill in the blanks 
with verbs that will make the description true, 
that will make the listener know just what kind 
of night it was. 

A Spring Shower 

I awakened in my little attic bed about midnight. 

Overhead I heard the rain . It against my 

window. Through a hole in the roof it upon 

my face. The wind among the eaves. It 

my shutters/ and the curtain at my window. 

Now change the title to " A Winter Gale " 
and fill in the blanks with verbs that will make 
a good description of such a storm. 

VIII. WRITING A DESCRIPTION 

Write a description of " A Spring Shower " 
or " A Winter Gale." You may use the out- 



SOME TROUBLESOME VERBS 197 

line given in the last lesson if you wish, adding 
any details that will make the description clearer. 
Thus in describing the spring shower you might 
tell of the chirp of an awakened bird, the scents 
brought from the garden by the wind, the feel- 
ing of spring in the air, the grateful coolness 
the shower brought, the feeling of peace or the 
drowsy feeling that was caused by listening to 
the gentle shower. 

In describing the winter gale you might speak 
of the noise of the storm, the sound of animals 
in fear or distress, the damage to trees or build- 
ings, the shivering cold, the feeling of unrest or 
fear that the storm aroused. 

If you can remember vividly a storm in the 
night, describe it so that those who read will 
have a clear idea of the storm itself and of its 
effect on you. 

IX. SOME TROUBLESOME VERBS 

Tip saw many strange sights in the city that day. 
When he returned to the Home, the kind Doctor 
asked him what he had seen. 

" O Doctor, I have seen such wonderful sights ! 
They can't be real ! " 

" Why, bless me ! " cried the Doctor. " I believe 
the lad thinks he has seen fairyland ! " 



198 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

In the above sentences saw and seen are used 



correctly. Here are some of the verbs that 
people sometimes use incorrectly. In these sen- 
tences they are used correctly : 



I saw the bird, 



We went to see John. 
The wind blew fiercely. 
The bird flew north. 



The boy has seen it also. 
John had gone to school. 
It had blown all night. 
It had flown from the south, 



An oak grew at the gate. It had grown for years, 



Tom knew the secret. 
The boys threw the ball. 
You ate the cake. 



Fido bit the man. 



The wind drove the clouds, 



The water froze. 
You spoke the truth. 

Who wrote this letter? 
We sang. 
The bells rang. 



He had known it a week. 

They have thrown it often. 

You have eaten every 
crumb. 

He has bitten many peo- 
ple. 

It has driven them over 
the sun. 

It is frozen solid. 

The words were spoken 
softly. 

It was written by John. 

The song was sung by us. 

They have been rung for 
ages. 



Fill the blanks in the following sentences 
with the correct verb : 



went 



gone 



VERBS OFTEN MISUSED 199 

I to visit my friend, but I did not see her as 

she had to New York. 

blew blown flew flown 

The wind all night. A small bird had 



to his nest. The nest was to the ground. The 

bird away. 

Write sentences using correctly the other 
verbs in the above lists. In writing your sen- 
tences try to make some connected thought, as 
in the sentences given just above. 

X. VERBS OFTEN MISUSED : LIE, LAY, SIT, SET 

lie lay 

There are two little verbs that often are mis- 
used even by educated people. They are "lie" 
and " lay." 

These words sound much alike and have 
something of the same meaning. It is hard to 
tell in a few words just when each should be 
used. "Lay" often, but not always, means "to 
cause to lie," as in this sentence, 

I lay the book on the table and the book lies there. 

You will get a better idea of the correct use 
of these words by studying the following sen- 
tences : 



2oo SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 



grass, 



The fairies lie hidden in the 
Fairyland lies all around us. 
Let me lay this plan before you. 
How will you lay out your garden ? 
The dragon lays waste the whole country. 

sit set 

" Sit " and " set " are two other little words 
that trouble many people. Sometimes " set " 
means to cause- to "sit," as, 

I set the doll in the carriage and the doll sits there. 

Here are some sentences in which these words 
are used correctly : 

The boy was set to work. 
The sun sets in the west. 
Have you set the supper table? 
The doctor set the broken bone. 



We set out early in the morning. 
Do you set a good example ? 
The ring was set with jewels. 
Sit in this chair. 
The bird sits on her eggs. 
That coat sits well. 

XI. SHALL OR WILL? 

Read the following sentences, paying atten- 
tion to the underlined words : 



SHALL OR WILL? 201 

" We shall freeze before morning," said Tom. 
"Shall I make a fire?" 



" No, no ! ' cried Jack. " Do you want to attract 
the Indians ? " 

Tom shivered in silence a few minutes, then he 
said : " I cannot stand this cold. I will make a 
fire." 

In the first sentence the words " shall freeze " 
tell what is likely to occur. Tom does not 
want to freeze, but he fears that he and his 
friend may freeze if they have no fire. 

In the second sentence Tom asks a question 
and uses " shall." 

In the last sentence he uses the word " will " 
— " will make " ; that is, he " wills," is deter- 
mined, to make a fire. 

IVith 1 or we use shall to tell what is likely to 
occur, and will to express will or determination. 
With 1 or we in questions always use shall. 

Fill in the right word, "shall" or "will," 
in place of the blanks in the following sen- 
tences : 

" How we spend the day ? " 

" We go into town." 

" we go by train ? " 

" No, we take the trolley." 



202 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

" Hurry, then, or we be late." 

" No, we not be late. I be ready in 

plenty of time." 

XII. MAY AND CAN 
i. May I read that letter? 



2. You may read it. 

The first sentence means, have I permis- 
sion to read that letter ? 

The second sentence means, you have per- 
mission to read that letter. 

3. Can I read that letter? 

4. You can read that letter. 

The third sentence means, have I the ability 
to read that letter ? 

The fourth sentence means, you have the 
ability to read that letter. 

Permission is expressed by may, ability by can. 

One day a small boy said, " Mother, can I eat 
another piece of cake ? " 

" I have no doubt you can, my son," was the 
answer. 

Well, may I eat another piece, Mother?" 
No, my son, you may not," replied the mother. 
There are many things that you can do, but that you 
may not do." 






ADVERBS 203 

Tell just what can and may mean whenever 
used in the above conversation between the 
mother and her son. 

Explain the meaning of can and may in the 
following sentences : 

1. I hope I can play ball next Saturday, but my 
arm is still stiff. 

2. I hope I may play ball next Saturday, but I 
fear the coach will not consent. 

3. Can I lift that heavy box? 

4. You may try. 

5. May I take your ball ? 

6. Yes, you may take it if you can find it. 

XIII. ADVERBS: THEIR USE AS MODIFIERS 

OF VERBS 

" Bring in the prisoner," commanded the officer. 

Immediately two soldiers entered the tent, leading a 
young man. 

" Stand there," commanded the officer, pointing to 
a place before the table. " Prisoner, you will answer 
my questions briefly. Are you a rebel ?" 

" I am what you are pleased to call a rebel," an- 
swered the youth proudly. 

In the second sentence the word immediately 
tells when or how soon the soldiers entered. 



It modifies — that is, it changes and makes more 



204 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

exact — the meaning of the verb entered, by 
telling when. 

In the third sentence the word there tells 
where the prisoner shall stand. It modifies the 
meaning of the verb stand by telling where. 

In the fourth sentence the word briefly tells 
how the prisoner is to answer. It modifies the 
verb answer by telling how. 

In the sixth sentence the word proudly tells 
how the youth answered. It modifies the verb 
answered by telling how. 

A word that modifies a verb is called an adverb. 



Adverbs are one of the eight Parts of Speech. 
Note that each adverb used above answers one 
of these questions : 

How? When? Where? 



Most, though not all, adverbs answer one of 
these questions. 

The adverbs swiftly, fast, slowly, lightly, 
heavily, awkwardly, may be used to tell how 
one runs. 

The adverbs softly, slowly, rapidly, smoothly, 
haltingly, clearly, distinctly, expressively, may 
be used to tell how one reads. 



SELECTING SUITABLE ADVERBS 205 

Make lists of adverbs that will tell — 

1. How a person may speak. 

2. How a person may sing. 

3. How a bird may fly. 

4. How the rain may fall. 

5. How the water flows. 

XIV. SELECTING SUITABLE ADVERBS 

Read the following story, inserting in the 
blank spaces adverbs that fittingly describe the 
movements and sounds of a giant. 

Do not be satisfied with the first words that 
come to your mind. If you first think of loudly 
to tell how the giant laughed, do not use this 
word without further thought. Think of all 
the words you can, such as harshly, mockingly, 
jeeringly, joyously, gayly, sadly, hoarsely, that 
might be used to tell how a giant laughs ; then 
select the word that expresses most clearly and 
exactly the picture that you have in your mind 
of the giant going through the forest. 

All sorts of people came to the little house in the 
wood and all were made welcome. 

One morning, in the early springtime, a giant trod 

through the fragrant woods. He saw the birds 

building their nests and laughed at their quaint 

ways. Like them he felt glad and sang . 



206 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Reaching the house, he tapped on the door, 

and without waiting for an invitation, stepped 

into the hall. The hall seemed dark after leaving the 
bright sunshine. 

" Any one at home ? " he called . 

He groped his way in the dark hall until he 

tripped over a stool and fell to the floor. 

Rewrite the above, having a fairy visit the 
house instead of a giant. Remember that you 
must now use adverbs suitable to describe the 
movements and sounds made by a dainty fairy. 

XV. OTHER USES OF ADVERBS 

Not only do adverbs modify verbs ; they are 
also used to modify adjectives and other adverbs. 

None could run so fast as he could, 
None could dive so deep as he could, 
None could swim so far as he could, 
None had made so many journeys, 
None had seen so many wonders, 
As this wonderful Iagoo, 
As this marvelous story-teller. 

— Longfellow 

In the first line of the above stanza, so tells 
how fast. Here the adverb so modifies the ad- 
verb fast. 



ADVERBS THAT ARE OFTEN MISUSED 207 

What does so modify in the second line? In 
the third? 

In the fourth line so tells how many. Here 
the adverb so mbdifies the adjective many. 

What does so modify in the fifth line ? 

Adverbs that modify adjectives and other ad- 
verbs tell how much or how little or give the 
idea of more or less. 

Here are some of the adverbs that are most 
commonly used to modify adjectives and other 
adverbs : 



so 


too 


only 


as 


much 


partly 


very 


hardly 


nearly 


quite 


scarcely 


almost 



XVI. SOME ADVERBS THAT ARE OFTEN 

MISUSED 

Here is a true story that teaches its own 
lesson : 

An English woman, on her way to America, met a 
young man on shipboard. To her surprise the lady 
learned that the young man lived in the town to which 
she was going, and that he knew her brother and his 
family. 

" I know your niece very well. She is a terribly 
pretty girl," said the young man. 



208 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

The voyage ended and the lady met her brother 
and niece on the pier, the latter of whom she had 
never before seen. After looking at the girl for a 
moment, she walked over to where the young man 
stood. 

" Sir/' she said in an indignant voice, " what did 
you mean by telling me such a falsehood about my 
niece ? She is a sweet, pretty girl. There is nothing 
terrible about her. Here I have fancied her looking 
like a modern Medusa." 

You remember that Medusa's beauty was so 
truly terrible that all who looked at her were 
turned to stone. 

Do you ever use terribly, awfully, and fear- 
fully, or similar adverbs, when you really do not 
mean that things are terrible or awful or fearful? 

Suggest more appropriate adverbs to be used 
in place of the adverbs underlined in the follow- 
ing sentences : 

i. I was terribly pleased. 

2. We had an awfully good time. 

3. I'm fearfully thirsty. 

Why are the adverbs in the following sen- 
tences correctly used ? 

1. The night was fearfully dark. 

2. The dream was terribly real. 

3. The ceremony was awfully impressive* 



CHAPTER SIXTEEN 

PICTURE STORIES 
I. MAKING STORIES FROM A PICTURE 

Do the animals in the picture on page 
211 look savage or do they look pleased ? 
What are they doing ? Do tigers, bears, ele- 
phants, and other animals like those shown in 
the picture generally act as these are doing ? 
What would they be apt to do to a man who 
came among them ? 

Are these animals common in our land ? Is 
the tree in the picture like those that grow in 
this land? Is the man dressed like the men you 
meet daily? Then, is this dancing party taking 
place in this land or in a far-away country ? 

The man is dressed like a native of India, the 
animals are like those that live in the Indian 
jungles, so perhaps the story of our picture will 
be laid in India. 

Have you ever heard of the snake charmers 
of India ? They are men who, by their strange 
motions and the strange music they play, cause 

20Q 



210 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

snakes to do many wonderful things. Perhaps 
the man in the picture, like the Pied Piper, 
can make every animal under the sun follow 
him when he plays on his wonderful pipe. 
Why is the man charming the animals ? 

1. Perhaps the tiger in the picture is a fierce man- 
eating tiger who has killed many people, and the man 
is leading him far from his home to a place where the 
hunters can shoot him. 

2. Perhaps the wolf has killed many sheep and the 
hunters want him. 

3. Perhaps some ivory hunters want the elephant. 

4. Perhaps the people in the village need food and 
the man is leading the animals to a great trap or pit. 

5. Perhaps the man was lost in the jungle and the 
animals were about to devour him, when he began 
to play on his pipe and charmed them all. 

6. Perhaps he is getting the animals for some men 
who want them for a circus. 

7. Perhaps they are animals he has already tamed. 

Think of some other " perhaps's." 
Use one of the suggestions given above or 
think of something entirely different and make 
a story about the picture. Tell how the man 
came to meet the animals, what he did to them, 
and what happened to the animals. 
Give your story an interesting title. 




211 



212 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

II. MORE PICTURE STORIES 

Here is another animal picture. The boy in 
this picture is a little American Indian. How 
can you tell ? 

See his camp fire and the Indian bowl. Per- 
haps the bowl contains water. Do you see any 
food near ? 

Is the boy going hunting or is he returning 
from a hunt ? 

Why is the coyote here ? Has he stolen the 
boy's food or water? Has he hungered so long 
that he has found courage to come right up to 
the camp fire ? What will the boy do ? 

Following are the outlines for some stories 
that may be made from this picture : 

i. Indian boy has a pet coyote that he saved when 
a cub (from what? how?) and brought up. There is 
a great famine in the land. (Why?) The people in 
the Indian village are dying. Boy goes out to hunt 
(what? where?). After a long and fruitless hunt, 
boy is ready to give up, when coyote leads him to a 
camp fire. By the fire (whose fire?) is a bowl of 
meat. While boy eats, coyote hunts around and 
discovers a store of dried venison hidden (where ? by 
whom?). Boy returns to the village in time to save 
the starving people. 




213 



214 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

2. Boy hunts every day. On his return to camp 
every night he finds his food has been stolen. A 
little bird promises to watch while boy is away. 
(Why did bird promise?) Bird flies to boy and 
tells him a coyote is stealing his food. Boy returns 
in time to catch the coyote (while he is feasting?). 
Coyote denies theft. (What reason does he give for 
being in boy's camp ?) Asks how boy knew. Boy 
answers, " A little bird told me/' (Is this the origin 
of the old saying?) What did boy do? 

3. The coyote is a manitou or spirit who has 
taken this form to test the boy. If he wishes to test 
his courage, what will he do ? If he wishes to test his 
kindness or hospitality, what will he do ? How will 
the boy stand the test ? 

Choose one of the above suggestions or out- 
lines and write a story from it, or make an 
original story of your own from the picture. 

What will be a good title for your story ? 

III. STILL MORE PICTURE STORIES 

The picture on the opposite page tells its 
own story so clearly that you can easily tell it 
in words. 

Who are the children in the picture ? 
Why have they come to the woods ? 
Why are they dressed like Indians ? 
Who lit the fire and hung the kettle ? 




215 



216 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

What work are the boys doing? 

What work are the girls doing ? 

What is in the kettle? 

Where did the children get it ? 

What are they getting ready to do ? 

Have they come to the woods alone ? 

If any older persons came with the children, where 
are they? 

Did the children have any accident, funny or 
serious, during the day ? 

If so, how did they treat it ? 

Tell a connected story of the children's day 
in the forest. 



IV. WRITING A PICTURE STORY 

Choose the picture in this chapter that in- 
terests you most and write the story it tells you. 

Think so surely while you are writing that 
there will be no need to correct your paper or 
to copy it. 



CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 

ABOUT PREPOSITIONS, CONJUNCTIONS, INTERJECTIONS: 
WHAT THEY ARE AND HOW TO USE THEM 

I. PREPOSITIONS 
A Disaster 

(i) What a sight met the good housekeeper's eyes! 
(2) The tablecloth was thrown under the sofa. (3) A 
broken dish lay beside the fire. (4) A muddy boot 
was half hidden among the sofa cushions. (5) Torn 
paper was scattered over the floor. (6) An ink bottle 
on the desk was upset and the ink was flowing from it. 
(7) A rug, beautiful 0/* design, was in tatters. 

In the second sentence the word "under 5 

tells the relation between the noun "sofa" and 

" was thrown." 

The tablecloth " was thrown under the sofa." 
In the third sentence the word " beside " 

shows the relation between the noun " fire " and 

" lay." * 

A broken dish " lay beside the fire." 

In the fourth sentence the word " among " 

shows the relation between the noun "cushions" 

and " was hidden." 

217 



2i 8 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

A muddy boot "was hidden among the 
cushions/' 

What relation does each of the other italicized 
words in the paragraph show ? Study them as 
follows : 

The word over shows the relation between the 
noun and . 

The word on shows the relation between the noun 
and . 



The word from shows the relation between the 
pronoun and . 

The word of shows the relation between the noun 
and . 

The word in shows the relation between the noun 
and . 



Each of these italicized words shows the rela- 
tion between the noun or pronoun that follows 
it, and some other word in the sentence. 

Words that show relation are prepositions , 
another of the eight Parts of Speech. 

A word that shows the relation between a noun 
or pronoun and some other word or worcte is called a 
preposition. 

Preposition means placed before. 
When a preposition is used, it is generally, 
though not always, placed before the noun or 



PREPOSITIONS 219 

pronoun whose relation it shows to some other 
word or words. 

The other word or words may be any one of 
these three parts of speech : a verb, a noun, or 
an adjective. 

In the third sentence of "A Disaster" the 
preposition beside shows the relation between the 
noun " fire " and the verb " lay." 

In the sixth sentence the preposition on shows 
the relation between the noun " desk " and the 
noun " bottle." 

In the seventh sentence the preposition of 
shows the relation between the noun " design' ' 
and the adjective " beautiful." 

Read again the paragraph, "A Disaster," 
giving other prepositions in place of the ones 
there used. By changing the preposition under 
in the second sentence you may make sentences 
as follows : 

The tablecloth was thrown over the sofa. 
The tablecloth was thrown across the sofa. 

The tablecloth was thrown the sofa. 

[upon 

The tablecloth was thrown beside the sofa. 

The tablecloth was thrown behind the sofa. 

The tablecloth was thrown before the sofa. 



220 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 



The tablecloth was thrown against the sofa. 
The tablecloth was thrown beneath the sofa. 
The tablecloth was thrown toward the sofa. 

In place of each of the other sentences make 
as many different sentences as you can by chang- 
ing the preposition. 



II. STUDYING PREPOSITIONS 

Prince Charming and the Princesses 

Prince Charming entered the enchanted chamber. 
Three princesses lay asleep in the room. A tiny bee 
hovered over the princess who reclined on the couch. 
An ant rested on the hand of the one who dreamed by 
the fire. A beautiful butterfly fluttered over the 
fairest princess, who slept under a blanket of roses. 

In the above paragraph what prepositions 
show the relation 



between 



lay 

hovered 

reclined 

rested 

hand 

dreamed 

fluttered 

slept 

blanket 



and room 



and 


princess 


and 


couch 


and 


hand 


and 


one 


and 


fire 


and 


princess 


and 


blanket 


and 


roses 



STUDYING PREPOSITIONS 221 

Do not name the preposition merely ; in 
each case make a full statement, as : 

The preposition in shows the relation between lay 
and room. 

The preposition over shows the relation between 
and princess. 



Fill each blank in the five sentences below 
with a preposition selected from the five prepo- 
sitions given above the sentences. For each 
blank, select the preposition that you think 
most suitable, the one that makes the sentence 
express a true event or picture most clearly. 

in under over through on 

1. The lily floated peacefully the water. 

2. Some ducks were swimming the water. 

3. The canoe skimmed lightly the water. 

4. A turtle dived the water. 

5. The prow of the boat cut the water. 

III. SOME PREPOSITIONS THAT ARE OFTEN 

MISUSED 

in into 

In and into are correctly used in the follow- 



ing sentences : 

" Where is Tom ? " asked Fred. 
I saw him going into that room some time ago, 



cc 



222 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

As I have not seen him come out, I think he is still in 
the room." 

Into suggests motion — the act of moving 
into the room. In suggests rest — remaining 
in the room. 

Use into to express motion. 

Use in to express rest. 

between among 

Between and among are correctly used in the 
following sentences : 

The money was divided among the twenty sailors, 
but the jewels were divided between the two captains. 

How many people shared the money ? 

What preposition is used ? 

How many people shared the jewels ? 

What preposition is used ? 

Use between in speaking of two. 

between means by two. 

Use among in speaking of more than two. 

to at 

To and at are used correctly in the following 
sentences : 

I am going to Mayfield. 

I had a fine time at Mayfield. 



PREPOSITIONS OFTEN MISUSED 223 
Do not use to for at. Do not say : 

I had a good time down to the beach. 

When I was to Chicago, I saw . 

When I was to grandfather's, I went . 



In all expressions such as the above it is in- 
correct to use to ; at is the correct preposition. 
Read the expressions again, using at in place of 
to. 

Use to when talking of going to a place. 

Use at when talking of what happened 

WHILE THERE. 

of 

Did you ever hear any one use off of as in the 
following sentences ? 

I jumped off of the bench. 

I got off of the train at New York. 

Of after off is unnecessary and should not be 
used. 

The above sentences should read — 

I jumped off the bench. 
I got off the train. 

Write five sentences, using correctly the fol- 
lowing prepositions : in, into, between, among,, 
and off. 



224 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 



IV. USING PREPOSITIONS 

Here is a list of the prepositions that are 
most frequently used : 



about 


before 


from 


to 


above 


behind 


in 


toward 


across 


below 


into 


under 


after 


beneath 


of 


until 


against 


beside 


off 


unto 


along 


between 


on 


up 


among 


beyond 


over 


upon 


around 


by 


through 


with 


at 


for 


till 


within 



Write a description under one of the follow- 
ing titles : 

How the Brook Flows 
Lost in a Blizzard 
A Boat Race 
A Journey in a Train 
A Ride in an Automobile 
Breaking a Colt 
Fishing for Trout 
Hunting Squirrels 

Before beginning to write, make a list of at 
least ten prepositions that you think could well 
be used in your description. It will help if you 
write the noun after the preposition. 



CONJUNCTIONS 225 

In preparing to write on the first subject, 
" How the Brook Flows/ 5 perhaps you would 
make a list of prepositions, with the nouns fol- 
lowing, something like this: 

above the shining pebbles against the mossy banks 

across the meadow among the reeds 

around the rocks between the banks 

into the river beyond the town 

through the valley by the farm 

below the bridge from the hill 

beneath the stars over the mill wheels 

beside the nodding flowers under the trees 

Just reading the phrases given above brings 
to the mind many pictures of the little brook 
flowing to join the river. 

V. CONJUNCTIONS 

" With me will I take Sir Lancelot and Sir Torre 
and Sir Gawain and Sir Tristram." 

In choosing the knights to accompany him 
on his journey, King Arthur connects their 
names with the word and. 

" Sir Lancelot or Sir Percivale shall hold the lists." 

In appointing either Sir Lancelot or Sir Per- 
civale to hold the lists, King Arthur uses the 
word or to connect their names. 



226 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

" Neither Sir Lancelot nor Sir Percivale, but Sir 
Galahad shall bear my message." 

In rejecting the services of Sir Lancelot and 
Sir Percivale and in choosing Sir Galahad, 
King Arthur connects their names with the 
words nor and but. 

Words that connect or join other words are 
called conjunctions. 

Conjunction means a joining together. 

In the above sentences the conjunctions join 
words to words. 

Read the following paragraphs : 

" Therefore/' said Arthur, " take thou Excalibur, 
my good sword. Go with it to yonder waterside. 
When thou comest there, I charge thee throw my 
sword into that water. Come again and tell me what 
thou seest." 

" Therefore," said Arthur, " take thou Excalibur, 
my good sword, and go with it to yonder waterside 
and when thou comest there, I charge thee throw my 
sword into that water and come again and tell me what 
thou seest." 

How many sentences in the first paragraph ? 
in the second ? 

What conjunction is used to join the short 
sentences of the first paragraph into the one 
long sentence of the second paragraph ? 



COMBINING SENTENCES 227 

Conjunctions, then, may be used to join 
groups of words, as well as single words. 

A -word used to join a -word or group of words to 
another -word or group of "words is called a conjunc- 
tion. 

Conjunctions make up one of the eight Parts 
of Speech. 

VI. COMBINING SENTENCES 
Read the following sentences : 

1. One day Tom went fishing. It was a bright 
day. It was a sunny day. 

2. One bright, sunny day Tom went fishing. 

Does not the last sentence tell all that the 
first group of sentences tells ? Which sounds 
better ? 

Compare the following : 

1. One day Tom was skating. He fell. He cut 
his head. He cut his head on a bit of ice. The ice 
was sharp. 

2. One day as Tom was skating, he fell and cut 
his head on a bit of sharp ice. 

Which do you like better > 
Here are some sentences taken from pupils' 
compositions. Try to combine each group of 



228 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

sentences into a single sentence that will tell all 
that the group tells. 

i. Once there was a beautiful princess. She lived 
in a far-away country. 

2. We rowed home in the twilight. We were 
hungry. We were tired. Everybody was happy. 
Everybody had had a good time. 

3. The Indian crept through the bushes. He 
came to a little house. It was in a clearing in the 
forest. 

4. Once there was a little girl. She lived with a 
cruel woman. Her home was in the Land of Shadows. 
It was far away from here. 

5. The old man sat by the fire. He was dreaming. 
He dreamed of the days that were long past. He 
dreamed of the days when he was young. 

VII. COMBINING SENTENCES IN A STORY 

Rewrite the following story, combining into 
single sentences each group of sentences marked 
with letters, (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e). 

The Fox and the Grapes 

(a) One day a fox was walking through a wood. 
He was hungry. He was looking for something to 
eat. (b) He saw a bunch of grapes. They were 
growing on a vine. The vine was high. 

(c) The fox tried to reach the grapes. He could 



INTERJECTIONS 229 

not. (d) He tried again. He tried another time. 
Still he failed, (e) At last he turned away. He was 
disappointed. He was angry. 

" I do not want those grapes," he said. " They 
are sour." 



VIII. WRITTEN REPRODUCTION 

Your teacher will read a story to you, which 
you are to reproduce in writing. While writ- 
ing keep the following directions in mind : 

1. Do not use simple little sentences when you 
can use longer sentences that express the meaning 
clearly, as in Lesson VI. 

2. Do not use the words and and then, except 
when necessary. 

IX. INTERJECTIONS 

You have learned that an exclamatory sen- 
tence is one that expresses strong or sudden 
feeling. Sometimes one word is used to express 
strong or sudden feeling. In the following 
sentences the underlined words are so used : 

Hark ! I hear a footfall on the stairs. 
Hurrah ! the game is ours. 
The aid came too late, alas ! alas ! 
Humph ! a very likely story, I must say. 
Ho ! ho ! will no one come ! 



230 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

The underlined words simply express sudden 
or strong feeling. They are not really parts 
of the sentences in which they occur. Read 
the sentences, omitting the underlined words, 
and you will see that each expresses a complete 
thought. These underlined words are exclama- 
tory words or interjections. 

Interjection means something thrown in. 

The interjection is a word thrown in to ex- 
press strong or sudden feeling. 

Just as exclamatory sentences are followed by 
the exclamation mark, so an interjection is 
usually followed by an exclamation mark. 

An interjection is a word thrown into a sentence 
to express strong or sudden feeling. 

The class of words called interjections makes 
one of the eight Parts of Speech.' 

Find the interjections in the following selec- 
tions : 

i. That brave knight buckled on his brand, 
Heigho ! the wind and the rain ; 
And fast he sought a foreign strand. 
Ah, well-a-day ! in vain. 

a. Hurrah ! hurrah ! a single field has turned the 
chance of war. 



USE OF INTERJECTIONS 231 

Hurrah ! hurrah ! for Ivry, and Henry of 
Navarre. 

3. Oh ! how our hearts were beating, when, at the 

dawn of day, 
We saw the army of the League drawn out in 
long array. 

4. Oh ! was there ever such a knight, in friendship 

or in war, 
As our Sovereign Lord, King Henry, the soldier 
of Navarre ? 

5. Ho! gallant nobles of the League, look that 

your arms be bright ; 
Ho ! burghers of St. Genevieve, keep watch and 
ward to-night. 

6. Hail ! men who rule the city. 

7. Hush ! hark ! did stealing steps go by ? 

X. EXPRESSING FEELINGS THROUGH THE 
USE OF INTERJECTIONS 

Here are some common interjections, arranged 
according to the feelings which they express : 

Joy : ah ! aha ! hurrah ! ha ! 
Sorrow: oh! alas! alack! O dear ! 
Praise : well done ! good ! bravo ! 
Surprise : whew ! what ! 
Contempt: pshaw! humph! fie! begone! 
Calling : ho ! hello ! look ! see ! behold ! hark ! 
hold! 



232 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Greeting : hail ! welcome ! all-hail ! 
Parting : farewell ! good-by ! 
Silence : hush ! hark ! soft ! softly ! 

Write sentences containing interjections that 
express the different feelings mentioned above. 
As you change the interjections, notice the 
change in the feeling or emotion expressed, and 
the consequent change of expression necessary 
in reading the sentences. 

Following is an illustration of the effects of 
changing an interjection : 

The Black Knight is overthrown. 

The above is a simple statement. There is 
nothing to show what effect the Black Knight's 
overthrow has on the speaker. Now let us use 
— throw in — certain interjections and observe 
the effects. 

Hurrah ! the Black Knight is overthrown ! 

We know at once that some one is overjoyed 
at the Black Knight's misfortune. 

Alack ! the Black Knight is overthrown. 

What feeling is expressed here ? 

Bravo ! the Black Knight is overthrown ! 



REVIEW OF PARTS OF SPEECH 233 

Here is expressed, not only joy at the defeat 
of the Black Knight, but praise for his conqueror. 

What ! the Black Knight is overthrown ! 

What feeling is here expressed ? 

Pshaw ! the Black Knight is overthrown ! 

Contempt is here expressed. It is as if the 
speaker said : " The Black Knight is no fighter. 
He is already easily overthrown." 

Behold ! the Black Knight is overthrown ! 

Now some one's attention is called to the fact, 
perhaps with some surprise. 

See how many different feelings you may 
throw into the same sentence by using different 
interjections. 

XI. REVIEW OF PARTS OF SPEECH 

The beautiful white snow is falling. 
It falls softly and swiftly. 
Hurrah ! bring your sleds. 

They will glide swiftly and smoothly over the glit- 
tering snow. 

1 . Tell to what part of speech each word in 
the above sentences belongs and why ; as, 



234 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 



The beautiful white snow is falling. 

"The" is an adjective because it is added to the 
noun snow to point out. 

" Beautiful ,: and " white " are adjectives because 
they are added to the noun snow to describe the snow. 

" Snow " is a noun because it is a name. 

" Is falling " is a verb because it tells what the snow 
is doing. 

Study the other sentences in the same way. 

2. Write the words in the above sentences 
in columns according to the parts of speech. 
Arrange your papers as follows : 



Nouns 



Pronouns 



Adjectives 



Verbs 



Adverbs 



Prepositions 



Conjunctions 



Interjections 



XII. STUDYING A POET'S CHOICE OF WORDS 

The following poem contains beautiful pic- 
tures described in beautiful words. The words 
fit ; they express the pictures clearly. Read 
the poem thoughtfully and try to see the 
pictures. 



STUDYING A POET'S CHOICE OF WORDS 235 

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud 

I wandered lonely as a cloud 

That floats on high o'er vales and hills, 

When all at once I saw a crowd, 
A host of golden daffodils, 

Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. 

Continuous as the stars that shine 

And twinkle on the Milky Way, 
They stretch' d in never ending line 

Along the margin of a bay ; 
Ten thousand saw I at a glance 
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. 

The waves beside them danced, but they 
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee : — 

A poet could not but be gay 
In such a jocund company ! 

I gazed — and gazed — but little thought 

What wealth the show to me had brought ; 

For oft, when on my couch I lie, 

In vacant or in pensive mood, 
They flash upon that inward eye, 

Which is the bliss of solitude : 
And then my heart with pleasure fills, 
And dances with the daffodils. 

— William Wordsworth 



236 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

First Stanza 

Can you imagine anything more lonely than 
a single cloud in the sky — miles of space below 
it, miles of space above it, and miles of space on 
every side ? How do you think the poet felt 
when he likened himself to such a cloud ? 

Have you ever watched a cloud wandering, 
floating, drifting, in the sky, moving slowly at 
the breath of the breeze, apparently without any 
destination? If you have, you will know just 
how aimless and thoughtless was the poet's wan- 
dering. 

What is a " host " ? How do you like the 
use of this word in the fourth line? 

Which do you prefer, "golden daffodils' 1 or 
" yellow daffodils " ? Why ? 

See how the poet's selection of prepositions 
makes clear the picture in the last two lines. 

Beside the lake, beneath the trees 
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. 

And the words " fluttering " and " dancing " 
make this picture beautiful as well as clear. 

Second Stanza 

Have you ever seen the " Milky Way " ? 
There the stars are so close together that they 



STUDYING A POET'S CHOICE OF WORDS 237 

make a broad pathway of light ; they are 
" continuous." 

Is there anything in the shape or the color 
of a daffodil to suggest a star ? 

To give an idea of the great number of 
daffodils the poet saw at a glance, he tells us 
he saw a "crowd," a "host," "ten thousand," 
that they were " continuous as the stars that 
shine and twinkle in the Milky Way." Which 
one of these expressions gives the idea of the 
greatest number ? Which tells how close to- 
gether they grew ? 

What words in this stanza do you like the 
best ? Why ? 

Third Stanza 

A poet could not but be gay, 
In such a jocund company! 

Of course he could not. For the true poet, 
whether he writes poetry or only feels it, sees, 
not a row of wind-swept daffodils, waving be- 
side the wind-swept waters of the lake, but 
daffodils and waters alive, gay, laughing, and 
happy — a "jocund company." 

Read all the expressions in the poem that tell 
you that the poet looked on the daffodils as 



238 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

living, thinking, and feeling beings, his joyful 
companions. 

Fourth Stanza 

Did the golden daffodils give pleasure only 
while the poet was gazing at them ? 

What is meant by " in vacant or in pensive 
mood"? 

Close your eyes and try to see, to recall, any 
one of the beautiful pictures of this poem. Can 
you see it clearly ? 

That is what the poet means by " that in- 
ward eye." He feels that if one's mind is well 
stored with beautiful pictures that he can recall 
with the " inward eye," he can amuse himself 
and be happy, even in solitude. Do you believe 
this is true ? It is equally true of him whose 
mind is stored with beautiful thoughts. 

Read the poem again and see if you do not 
have clearer pictures, if the words do not please 
you better, if the poem does not mean more to 
you. 

XIII. READING « I WANDERED LONELY AS A 

CLOUD" 

Read the poem, " I Wandered Lonely as a 
Cloud," to yourself, several times if necessary, 



MEMORIZING 239 

until you feel prepared to read it well in class. 
If possible, read it aloud to yourself or to any 
one who will listen. 

To read this poem well, you must put your- 
self in the poet's place, you must feel towards 
the daffodils as he felt ; then you will be able to 
read the beautiful words expressively and to 
feel their beauty. 

XIV. MEMORIZING "I WANDERED LONELY 

AS A CLOUD" 

Memorize this poem by reading the entire 
poem through several times aloud, keeping in 
mind, — that is, seeing with your " inward eye," 
— and feeling just what the poet saw and felt 
when he wrote the poem. 

XV. RECITING "I WANDERED LONELY AS 

A CLOUD" 

When reciting this poem, keep in your mind's 
eye the picture of the dancing daffodils, and pro- 
nounce the beautiful words of the poem, so that 
they fit the picture. 

XVI. WRITING FROM MEMORY "I WAN- 

DERED LONELY AS A CLOUD" 



CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 

ABOUT FABLES AND PROVERBS 
I. STUDYING A FABLE 

The Lion and the Mouse 

A lion was sleeping in his den when a little mouse 
ran over his paw and awakened him. The lion 
caught the little creature and was about to devour her, 
when she cried : " O Lion, spare my life ! You are too 
great and noble to harm a little creature like me." 
The lion, pitying the little mouse, let her go. 

Not long after this, the lion was caught in a hunter's 
net. His loud roars filled the forest. The little 
mouse heard him and ran to his aid. Quickly she 
gnawed through the ropes that bound him, and set 
him free. 

Thus the little mouse taught the mighty lion that 
kindness is seldom thrown away. No creature is so 
much below another that he cannot repay kindness 
with kindness. — iEsop 

If it were not indicated by the lesson heading, 
how would you know that the above story is a 
fable? 

How many paragraphs in this fable ? 

240 



STUDYING A FABLE 241 

What does each paragraph tell ? Do not 
answer like this : 

1. How the lion spared the mouse. 

2. How the mouse saved the lion. 

3. What the fable teaches. 

Instead, make good topic sentences. 

Read the first sentence in the first paragraph. 
It contains thoughts that might have been ex- 
pressed in several simple sentences, as follows : 

A lion was in his den. He was asleep. A little 
mouse ran over his paw. She awakened the lion. 

The thoughts here expressed in four short 
sentences are much better expressed in the single 
longer sentence of the story. But this long 
sentence is not the only sentence that might be 
made to express these thoughts. They might 
be expressed in any one of the following ways : 

Once a little mouse ran over the paw of a lion 
sleeping in his den, and awakened him. 

Once a little mouse awakened a lion sleeping in his 
den, by running over his paw. 

Once a lion sleeping in his den was awakened by a 
little mouse running over his paw. 

Try to express the same thoughts in still 
another single sentence. 



242 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Read each sentence in the fable, then try to 
express it differently, keeping the meaning 
clear. 

What lesson or moral does this fable teach ? 
Express this moral in different ways. 

What might the mouse have said to the lion 
to teach him the moral ? What might the lion 
have said to the mouse to show that he had 
learned the moral ? 

Retell the story, using your own words. Do 
not make tod short sentences. Combine sev- 
eral ideas into a single sentence, as the author, 
has done. 

II. TELLING ORIGINAL FABLES 

Can you recall any other fable that teaches 
the same lesson as " The Lion and the Mouse"? 
iEsop has told several fables containing the 
same moral. " The Dove and the Ant " is one 
of them. Following is an outline of the fable : 

(A) The Dove and the Ant 

i. A dove, seeing an ant about to drown, saved its 
life by dropping a leaf before it. 

2. The ant saved the dove's life by stinging a man 
about to shoot the dove, thus destroying his aim. 



TELLING ORIGINAL FABLES 243 

Here is the outline for an original fable, 
teaching the same lesson : 

(B) The Man and the Dog 

1. A man bought a dog from a boy who was about 
to drown it. 

2. The dog saved the man's life by arousing him 
when his house was on fire. 

Below are the titles and a few suggestions for 
other fables that teach the same truth: 

(G) The Elephant and the Bee 

1. How might an elephant help a bee ? 

2. How might a bee help an elephant? 

(D) The Giant and the Dwarf 

1. What can a giant do that a dwarf cannot? 

2. How might a dwarf help, or even save the life 
of a giant ? 

(E) The King and the Beggar 

(F) The Eagle and the Bat 

(G) The Deer and the Snail 

(H) The Wise Man and the Simpleton 

Choose one of the above titles and tell a fable 
that teaches that no one is so much below 



244 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

another that he cannot repay kindness. Keep 
the fable short. The outlines given are for two 
paragraphs. Use no unnecessary ands or thens. 

III. WRITING ORIGINAL FABLES 

Choose one of the titles for fables given in 
the last lesson, and write an original fable. 
Here are some things to remember if you wish 
to make it a really good fable : 

i. Decide how many paragraphs your fable will 
contain, and what each paragraph will tell. Two para- 
graphs are enough unless you wish to add the moral, 
as is done in the fable, " The Lion and the Mouse. " 
This is not necessary. 

2. Think out every sentence clearly in your own 
mind before you write one word of that sentence. 

3. Use capitals and marks of punctuation correctly. 

4. After you have finished writing your fable, read 
it through carefully and correct any mistakes you may 
have made in spelling, punctuation, and indention of 
paragraphs. 

IV. MORE FABLES TO STUDY 

The Dog and His Shadow 

A dog was crossing a river with a piece of meat in 
his mouth. He saw his own form reflected in the 
water. 



MORE FABLES TO STUDY 245 

Thinking that it was another dog with another 
piece of meat, he made up his mind to have the other 
dog's meat as well as his own. But in snapping at the 
shadow, he dropped his own piece of meat and so lost 
all. 

What word would be better than " shadow " 
in the title of the above fable ? Why ? 

Combine the sentences in the first paragraph 
into one. 

If you were writing this fable, would you 
tell it in one paragraph or in two ? Why ? 

What moral does " The Dog and His 
Shadow" teach? 

The Farmer and the Bird 

A farmer once caught a bird in a net. 

"Good farmer, let me go," cried the bird, "and I 
will lead many other birds into the snare." 

" No," answered the farmer, cc I might have let you 
go. But now that you have shown me the kind of 
bird you are, you shall surely die. No death is too 
bad for him who is ready to betray his friends." 

How could you combine sentences in the 
above fable so as to make two paragraphs ? 

What two sentences in the third paragraph 
might well be combined into one sentence ? 



246 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

What moral does the fable, " The Farmer 
and the Bird/' teach? 

Do you agree with the farmer ? 

Study the uses of the capitals and marks of 
punctuation in this fable. 

V. WRITING FROM DICTATION "THE 
FARMER AND THE BIRD" 

VI. TELLING ORIGINAL FABLES 

The fable, " The Dog and His Shadow/' 

teaches that he who tries to grasp too much 

loses all. Following are titles with outlines 

and suggestions of stories that teach the same 

lesson : 

1. The Kingfisher and the Fish 

A kingfisher, with one fish in his mouth, tried to 
get another from the water. What happened ? 

2. The Dog and the Rabbit 

A dog had just caught a rabbit, when he saw 
another near. He tried to capture both. What was 
the result ? 

3. The Cat and the Mouse 

A cat, carrying a live mouse, saw his reflection in a 
mirror. He thought it was another cat with another 
mouse and determined to get the second mouse. 
How did he succeed? 



WRITING ORIGINAL FABLES 247 

4. The Boy and the Bottles of Milk 

How many bottles was the boy carrying? How 
many more did he wish to take ? Result ? 

5. The Man and the Crates of Eggs 

Cart already loaded ; man tried to pile on more ; 
result. 

6. The Fisherman and His Nets 

7. The Man and the Paper Bag of Flour 

8. The Chicken and the Grasshopper 

9. The Squirrel and the Nut 

10. The Man and the Seat 

Man enters crowded car ; refuses a single seat, has- 
tens toward a double one that is taken before he 
reaches it, turns back to the first seat and finds — 
what ? 

Choose one of the above titles and tell an 
original fable. Think the fable through before 
beginning to speak. Be sure your fable teaches 
the right moral. 

VII. WRITING ORIGINAL FABLES 

Choose one of the titles given in the last les- 
son, or select an original title, and write a fable 
teaching the same moral that the fable, " The 
Dog and His Shadow " (page 244), teaches. 



248 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Let your fable be short. As there should be 
no difficulties for you in the use of capitals or 
marks of punctuation, you should spend much 
thought on making good sentences. Of course 
you will make no mistakes in spelling, in punc- 
tuation, or in capitalization. 

VIII. A STORY TO FINISH 

The General and the Spy 

Just before an important battle, a spy was captured 
within the American lines and was at once taken be- 
fore General True. 

After reading the above paragraph, read again 
the fable, " The Farmer and the Bird " (page 
245); then finish the story, "The General and 
the Spy." In finishing this story, perhaps these 
questions will help you : 

What punishment did the general decide upon ? 
How did the spy try to induce the general to spare 
him ? (What did the bird promise the farmer ?) 
What was the general's answer ? 

IX. WHAT ARE PROVERBS? 

You have learned that every fable teaches a 
truth or, as we generally say, a moral. Often, 
instead of telling the. whole fable, we may call 



WHAT ARE PROVERBS? 249 

it to mind by a brief statement of the lesson it 
teaches. 

" Grasp no more than thy hand can hold,'" 
recalls the fable, " The Boy and the Nuts." 

" Don't count your chickens before they are 
hatched," or " Sell not the bear's skin until 
you have caught the bear/' may bring to mind 
the fable, "The Milkmaid and the Pail of 
Milk." 

" He who hunts two hares at once will catch 
neither," or " A gift in the hand is worth two 
promises," or " A fish in the net is worth a hun- 
dred swimming in the sea," or " A bird in the 
hand is worth two in the bush," may suggest 
the fable, " The Dog and His Shadow." 

" Dig a well before you are thirsty," and 
" Have not thy cloak to make when it begins 
to rain," teach the same lesson as the fable, 
" The Wise Boar." 

Such short sayings, full of wisdom, are called 
Proverbs. 

William Penn wrote : 

" The wisdom of nations lies in their proverbs. 
. . . Collect and learn them. . . . You have much 
in little ; they save time in speaking ; and upon occa- 
sions may be the fullest and safest answers." 



250 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

The best-known American proverbs were 
written and collected by Benjamin Franklin 
more than one hundred and fifty years ago and 
published in Poor Richard's Almanac. You 
doubtless know a number of these Sayings of Poor 
Pi chard. Here are a few : 

i. Never leave that till to-morrow which you can 
do to-day. 

2. Early to bed and early to rise 

Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. 

3. God helps them that help themselves. 

4. Plow deep while sluggards sleep. 

5. Little strokes fell great oaks. 

6. Experience keeps a dear school but fools will 
learn in no other. 

7. Remember that time is money. 

8. There never was a good war nor a bad peace. 

Which of these proverbs do you like best ? 
Why? 

What others do you know ? 

X. ORIGIN OF PROVERBS 

Some proverbs doubtless came from old fables 
that were told from age to age ; others may 
have had their origin in some real happening. 

There is a Chinese proverb which says, " Bet- 



ORIGIN OF PROVERBS 251 

ter go home and make a net than sit by a river 
wishing for fish." 

Might not that proverb have come from some 
such incident as the following ? 

One day as Confucius was on a journey he saw a 
man sitting idle beside a river. 

" Why sit ye idle by the waters ? ' asked Con- 
fucius. 

" I am watching the fish. There are so many of 
them and they are so large. How I wish I had one 
for my dinner ! " replied the man. 

" Foolish one ! " answered Confucius, " better go 
home and make a net than sit by the river wishing/' 

From the list of proverbs given below, select 
one and tell how you think it may have come 
to be made. 

1. Nothing is lost on a journey by stopping to 
feed your horse. — Spanish 

2. Willing comes before working. 

3. Step by step one gets to Rome. — Italian 

4. A bear never knows until he is muzzled how 
many people are not afraid of him. 

5. Truly polite is always polite. 

6. Greatness alone is not enough, or the cow would 
outrun the hare. — German 

7. 'Tis not what we have but what we enjoy 
that makes us happy. 



252 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

8. A fine cage won't feed the bird. 

9. Welcome is the best dish on the table. 

10. Sell not the bear's skin until you have caught 
the bear. 

11. He who begins many things finishes few. 

12. He that would have fruit must climb the tree. 

13. Little leaks sink great ships. 

14. Better a free bird than a captive king. 

15. Cowards are cruel, but the brave love mercy, 
and delight to save. 

16. Better go around than fall in the ditch. 

— Spanish 

17. Before you cross the river, look out for the 
crocodile. — African 

18. Destroy the lion while he is a whelp. 

Here is another old proverb in rhyme. Read 
it before you begin work. 

When about to put your thoughts in ink, 
'Twill do no harm to stop and think. 

When you have selected your proverb, think 
your story through before writing. Perhaps a 
short outline will help you. Following are 
some simple outlines : 

Proverb 4. A bear lived in the woods near a village. 
Whenever he appeared, people fled in terror. At 
last he was captured and muzzled. People then 
gathered around, saying : " I am not afraid of a bear. 



APPLICATION OF PROVERBS 253 

I never ran from him." What might the bear have 
thought ? 

Proverb 5. Servant very polite to master; rude 
to poor people ; one day master discovers this ; dis- 
charges servant ; says what ? 

Proverb 14. King held captive in a beautiful 
palace ; had servants to wait upon him and every 
comfort ; looked from window one day and saw a 
little sparrow ; said what ? 

XI. APPLICATION OF PROVERBS 

While many proverbs may have had their 
origin in one story or particular happening, 
their teaching applies to many different cir- 
cumstances and conditions. For example, the 
Chinese proverb, quoted in the last lesson, 
"Better go home and make a net than sit by 
the river and wish/' means it is always better 
to get to work, to do something, than to sit 
and wish. 

Here are a few proverbs, with suggestions 
of their possible origin and explanations of 
their larger meanings : 

1. If you don't aim high, you will never hit high. 

Originally this may have referred to shooting 
with bow and arrow. Now it means that unless 



254 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

one sets a high standard for himself, he never 
will reach excellence in any endeavor. 

2. He who goes with wolves, learns to howl. 

— Spanish 

When written, this may have meant that 
dogs who ran away and lived with wolves, 
learned the ways of the wolves and howled 
like them. The wider meaning is that a per- 
son grows like those with whom he lives. 

3. A pig that has two owners is sure to die of 
hunger. 

Perhaps two men were owners of a pig and 
each depended upon the other to feed it, with 
the result that the pig died. The wider mean- 
ing of the proverb is found in another proverb, 
" Everybody's business is nobody's business." 

What is the wider meaning of each of the 
following proverbs ? 

4. Two captains sink the ship. 

5. None preaches better than the ant, and she says 
nothing. — Franklin 

6. If you can't fly, crawl. 

7. Drop by drop wears away the stone. 

— French 

8. "All the world talks of its shoes," says the 
cobbler. 



MAKING PROVERB STORIES 255 

9. It is as easy to be a lead horse as a wheel horse. 

10. Drive not the second nail till the first be 
clinched. 

11. He that would eat the kernel must crack the 
nut. — Plautus 

12. He who tastes every man's broth, sometimes 
burns his mouth. — Danish 

13. Said the sieve to the needle, "You have a hole 
in your head." — Bengalese 

14. When we go for berries, we must not retreat 
for briers. 

15. If I have lost my ring, I still have my finger. 

XII. MAKING PROVERB STORIES 
A scalded dog is afraid of cold water. 

The above proverb may have had its origin 
in a true incident. By accident, or by cruel 
design, a dog may have had some hot water 
spilled over him. Ever after he ran when he 
saw any one about to throw out even cold water, 
fearing he might be burned. 

From the following, or from original topics, 
make up stories that illustrate the above proverb : 

1. The Baby and the Stove. 

(Hot stove — cold stove) 

2. The Dog and His Medicine. 

(Full bottle — empty bottle) 

(Spoonful of medicine — spoonful of water) 



256 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

3. The Bear and the Porridge Pot. 

(A camping story) 

4. The Baby and the Bee. 

(Baby thought it was a fly) 

5. The Monkey and the Firecracker. 

(Monkey thought it was a lighted cigarette) 

Try to make the title and the first sentence 
of your story interesting, so that your audience 
will want to hear the whole story. If you 
choose the fifth topic, you may take for your 
title, " A Bad Habit Cured." Then the story 
might begin : 

A monkey who had acquired the bad habit of 
smoking cigarettes, one day found what he thought a 
great treat. 

" A cigarette ! and already lighted ! How lucky I 
am ! What a beautiful bright color it is. I never 
saw a red cigarette before." 

Think of other interesting beginnings for this 
story. 

XIII. WRITING PROVERB STORIES 

Write a story containing the teaching of a 
proverb. You may select your proverb from 
those given in Lessons IX, X, XI, or XII, or 
you may use any other proverb you know. 



A LETTER 257 

Here is a proverb for you : 

Well-framed thoughts and pictures please most. 

— English 

Try to frame your thoughts, in the story you 
are about to write, in a pleasing word frame. 
That will be a direct and profitable application 
of a proverb to yourself. 

XIV. WRITING PROVERBS FROM MEMORY 

Memorize at least five proverbs and write 
them from memory. Write as many more as 
you know. 

Try to write one good original proverb. 

XV. A LETTER 

Your friend, John Smith, has been the cham- 
pion runner of his school for two years. This 
year he has been defeated. Perhaps he was de- 
feated (1) because he did not keep up his prac- 
tice, or (2) because he felt so sure of himself 
that he did not try, or (3) because he had an 
accident during the summer, or (4) because he 
thought too little of his opponent's ability, or 
(5) because he kept watching his opponent in- 
stead of looking to the goal, or (6) because his 



258 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

opponent proved his superior, do the best he 
could. 

Choose one of the given reasons as the cause 
of your friend's defeat and write a letter of sym- 
pathy to him. If you can think of any fable or 
proverb that applies to him, use it, but not in a 
disagreeable way. You do not want to dis- 
courage him. You want him to overcome any 
fault he has, so that he may run again and win. 

Before writing, study the heading and ending 
of the letter in Chapter X (page 104). 



CHAPTER NINETEEN 

ABOUT CLASSIC, MODERN, AND ORIGINAL MYTHS AND 
FAIRY TALES, TRUE STORIES, AND QUOTATIONS 

I. MYTHS: THEIR ORIGIN 

Many, many years ago, as the people who 
lived on this earth saw the marvels it contained, 
they wondered how such things came to be. 
As time passed, they made up stories to explain 
the wonders that surrounded them. 

They saw the sun in the heavens by day and 
the moon and stars by night. At times the 
heavens were darkened and snow and hail and 
rain fell upon the earth, the bright lightning 
flashed and the loud thunder roared. Then said 
the people, " Surely there is a great god who 
rules the heavens/' 

So began the story of Jupiter, king of the 
heavens, who also ruled the earth. A mighty 
god was he whose weapon was the thunder. 
The eagle was his favorite bird, and bore his 
thunderbolts. Did not the people see for them- 

259 



26o SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

selves that the eagle flew highest, that he alone 
could fly to the sky ? 

With Jupiter ruled his two brothers, Neptune, 
the god of the sea, and Pluto, the god of the 
underworld. Besides these, there were many 
other gods and goddesses. 

The home of the gods was on Mount Olym- 
pus, believed by the people to be the center of the 
earth. However, the gods often passed through 
the gates of clouds that hid the summit of the 
Mount from mortals, and descended to earth. 
The poet Cowper thus describes Olympus : 

Olympus, the reputed seat 

Eternal of the gods, which never storms 

Disturb, rains drench, or snow invades, but calm 

The expanse and cloudless shines with purest day. 

There the inhabitants divine rejoice 

Forever. 

These old stories are called myths. They 
have been told from father to son for many 
generations. Some are tales of heroes and brave 
deeds ; others are stories of cruel punishments 
and great rewards ; and still others are beautiful 
nature stories. 

You doubtless already know some of the old 
myths. You will enjoy reading more. If you 



MYTHS: THEIR ORIGIN 261 

wish to read, to learn to love, the best things 
that have been written, you must know these 
old myths, for the best writers make many allu- 
sions to them. 

In this book it is impossible to tell many 
myths. Below is given a list of some of the 
principal gods and goddesses who figure most 
frequently in these old stories. What stories do 
you already know about them ? 

Aurora was the goddess of the morning. At dawn 
she opened " the gates of day " with her "rosy fingers." 
Do you know the picture, " The Aurora " ? 

Apollo was the god of the sun. He was also the 
god of archery. The sunbeams are sometimes called 
the arrows or darts of Apollo. 

Diana, Apollo's twin sister, was the moon goddess. 
She was also the skilled huntress. Do you know the 
story of Latona, mother of Apollo and Diana, and 
the frogs ? 

Mars was the god of war. 

Venus was the goddess of beauty. 

Cupid was the god of love. 

Vulcan was the armorer of the gods. It was he 
who forged Jupiter's thunderbolts. 

Minerva was the goddess of wisdom. 

Mercury was the messenger of the gods. 

Ceres was the goddess of agriculture. Of course 
you recall the story of her lost daughter, Proserpine. 



262 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Pan was the god of flocks and shepherds and coun- 
try people. 

Flora was the goddess of the flowers. 

These are only a few of the old gods and 
goddesses. Hawthorne's Wonder Book, Bulfinch's 
Age of Fable, and Hamilton Wright Mabie's 
Myths that Every Child Should Know will afford 
you many happy hours in Mythland. 

II. A MYTH TO STUDY 

The Story of Arachne 

Arachne, a beautiful maiden, had attained such 
skill in the arts of weaving and embroidery that all 
people praised her work. Many of the goddesses 
left their homes to see the beautiful spinner and her 
wonderful embroidery, {a) They said Minerva, the 
goddess of wisdom and art, must have taught her. 
(b) This Arachne denied. She claimed that her 
work was much finer than Minerva's, and declared 
herself willing to challenge Minerva to a trial of 
skill. 

Minerva, hearing this, disguised herself as an old 
woman, and went to see Arachne. (c) She spoke 
kindly to the maiden and warned her against com- 
peting with a goddess. She told her to rest satisfied 
that she was the finest spinner among mortals, (d) But 
Arachne would not listen ; instead she insisted on 



A MYTH TO STUDY 263 

challenging the goddess, adding that the goddess was 
afraid to accept the challenge. 

(e) Minerva, in great wrath, dropped her disguise, 
and accepted the challenge. 

Arachne's work was beautiful, but Minerva's far 
excelled it. 

In despair at her defeat, Arachne hanged herself. 
(/) Minerva, pitying her, bade her live, but that 
Arachne and her descendants to all future times might 
remember the folly of boastfulness, Minerva changed 
her into a spider. 

Change the sentence marked (#), in the first 
paragraph, to a direct quotation ; that is, tell 
the exact words the people may have said 
when they praised Arachne's work. What 
marks are used to inclose a direct quotation ? 
How is it separated from the rest of the sen- 
tence ? 

Change the sentences marked (<£), in the first 
paragraph, to a direct quotation. Will this 
change make any difference in the paragraphs 
of the story ? If you do not know, turn to the 
lesson on the conversation paragraph, page 148. 

Change the sentences marked (c), in the 
second paragraph, to a direct quotation. 

In the same way change the sentence marked 
[d) 9 in the second paragraph, that marked (e) 9 



264 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

in the third paragraph, and that marked Qf), 
in the last paragraph, to direct quotations. 
Retell the story, using direct quotations, 

III. ANOTHER USE OF THE COMMA 

The Faithless Sentinel 

Mars, the god of war, once ordered a young soldier, 
Alectryon, to keep guard outside his tent, and awake 
him at the first approach of dawn. 

Next morning, when Mars awoke, the sun was high 
in the heavens. Rushing from his tent, he found 
Alectryon fast asleep. The angry god awoke the 
soldier and reproached him for his faithlessness. He 
told him that he was not fit to be a man or a soldier. 

He touched Alectryon, and immediately the soldier 
lost his human form. His arms disappeared and in 
their places grew wings. His body was covered with 
feathers. The angry god had changed him into a 
cock. 

Alectryon felt so ashamed of his neglect of duty 
that ever after he was awake to greet the dawn ; and 
to this day his descendants proclaim the first peep of 
morning by their loud " Cock-a-doodle-doo ! ,: 

What words might Mars have used when he 
told Alectryon to keep watch ? 

What did he say when he found the sentinel 
asleep at his post ? 



ANOTHER USE OF THE COMMA 265 

Using direct quotations makes the story more 
interesting. 

In the first paragraph there occurs a new use 
for commas. What words explain who Mars 
was ? What word explains who the soldier 
was ? 

A word, or words, added to some other word to 
explain its meaning, must be separated from the rest 
of the sentence by a comma or commas. 

This is the way to study the new use of 
commas : 

The words " the god of war " are separated from 
the rest of the sentence by commas because they are 
added to the word " Mars " to explain its meaning. 

The word " Alectryon " is separated from the rest 
of the sentence by commas because it is added to the 
word " soldier " to explain its meaning. 

In the same way tell why commas are used 
in the following sentences : 

1. Juno, Jupiter's wife, was the queen of heaven. 

2. Vulcan, the son of Jupiter, made armor for the 
gods. 

3. Venus, the goddess of beauty, sprang from the 
foam of the sea. 

4. Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, was Juno's 
messenger. 



266 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

5. Arachne, a beautiful maiden, was changed into 
a spider by Minerva, the goddess of wisdom. 

6. Neptune, the god of the sea, gave man the 
horse. 

7. Mercury, the messenger of the gods, made the 
first lyre. 

8. Apollo, the sun god, gave Mercury Caduceus, 
his serpent-entwined rod, in exchange for the lyre. 

IV. REWRITING A MYTH 

Rewrite the myth, " The Faithless Sentinel/' 
using direct quotations when Mars speaks to 
Alectryon. Remember how a direct quotation 
is punctuated. Keep in mind the new use of 
commas. 

V. MODERN MYTHS 

In the myths, " The Story of Arachne " and 
" The Faithless Sentinel/ 5 the maiden was turned 
into a spider and the soldier into a cock in 
punishment for wrongdoing. Other myths tell 
of great blessings bestowed on mortals as re- 
wards. 

Many modern or new myths have been 
written to show how things were changed 
to their present condition as rewards or pun- 
ishments. Two of the best books of mod- 



MODERN MYTHS 267 

ern myths are "Just-so Stories by Rudyard 
Kipling, and Wood Myths by Ernest Thompson- 
Seton. 

In his book, Mr. Kipling tells us how the 
elephant got his long trunk, how the camel 
got his hump, and how the whale got his 
small throat. Among other stories, Mr. Seton 
tells us how we got the first chestnuts, and how 
we got the first shad. 

Here are two myths made by children from 
the same title : 

1. How the Chipmunk Got His Stripes 

Long ago the chipmunk did not have any stripes 
on his back. He was just a little red squirrel. 

One day Mr. Chipmunk saw Farmer Green plant 
some corn. 

c< It is a pity that good corn should be buried in 
that black earth," thought Mr. Chipmunk. 

Soon the farmer left the cornfield and began to 
rake some flower beds near by. 

" Now is my chance ! " said Mr. Chipmunk, and 
he crept into the cornfield, and set to work to dig 
up the corn and eat it. 

Farmer Green, looking up from his work, saw the 
little thief, and, rake in hand, started towards him. 
The greedy chipmunk heard nothing until the farmer 
was upon him. Down came the rake on his back ! 



268 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Quickly the chipmunk squirmed from under the rake 
and away to the woods he ran. But the soil on the 
rake had left broad bands of black on his back. 

" Ah ! " said Pan, " you shall wear your stripes 
forever, little chipmunk, and men and animals, when 
they look upon them, shall know that you are a thief." 

2. How the Chipmunk Got His Stripes 

One day while a little brown squirrel was off in the 
woods, gathering his supply of nuts for winter, a 
dreadful thing happened. Through the carelessness 
of some campers, the hollow tree in which the squirrel 
had his nest was set on fire. The flames mounted 
quickly; the smoke filled the forest. The animals 
from all around rushed from their homes. All gazed 
in horror at the burning tree, for there, in her nest, 
were the mother squirrel and her three babies. 

The terrified mother squirrel coaxed and begged 
the other animals to help her save her little ones, but 
all drew back in fear. 

Suddenly over the ground dashed a little brown 
streak ! Straight to the tree it sped ! Up ! up ! 
right to the little nest it flew ! No fire could keep 
the brave little squirrel from his home. Down the 
tree he came, carrying a baby to safety ; then, with- 
out a moment's rest, up the tree again, to return with 
another baby, while the mother followed with the 
last of the little family. 

When all were safe, and the excitement had died 



MAKING ORIGINAL TREE MYTHS 269 

down, the other animals saw that the squirrel's brown 
coat was marked with stripes of black, where the 
burning twigs had fallen on his back. 

Then the red and the gray squirrels mocked him, say- 
ing, " Look at the great, ugly, black stripes on his back ! 
Hide away, little squirrel, until they disappear." 

But Jupiter, who had watched the brown squirrel's 
gallant fight, stepped forth and said : " Nay, hide not 
the stripes, little brother. No need to be ashamed 
of such marks of daring. Keep them forever, that 
all who look upon them may remember that the little 
brown squirrel is a hero." 

In which myth did the chipmunk get his 
stripes as a reward ? In which as a punishment ? 

Why did the maker of the first myth have 
Pan fix the punishment ? (Of what was Pan 
the god?) 

What goddess might have objected to the 
destruction of the crop by the chipmunk ? 

VI. MAKING ORIGINAL TREE MYTHS 

Some of the most beautiful myths are about 
the trees, the flowers, the beasts, and the birds. 
These myths tell how or why each gained its 
present form or some peculiar feature. The 
following is one of the most beautiful tree 
myths : 



270 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

The Mountain Ash 

The beautiful jeweled cup from which Odin, the 
king of the Norse gods, drank, was stolen by the 
dwarfs of the underworld. Odin called all the birds 
and beasts before him and asked some one to volunteer 
to recover the cup. All hung back in fear except the 
eagle, who said proudly, " I will find the cup or lose 
my life." 

Down to the earth, down, down to the underworld 
he flew. His piercing eye beheld the cup hidden in a 
dark cavern. Quickly he grasped it in his strong talons 
and began his upward flight. 

The angry dwarfs followed him to the earth, hurl- 
ing jagged rocks at him. Feathers and great drops of 
blood, falling to the ground, showed only too plainly 
that the sharp stones reached him. Wounded, bleed- 
ing, dying from the cruel stones, the brave bird still 
flew onward and upward, until he reached Odin, and, 
dropping the jeweled cup in his lap, fell dead at his 
feet. 

Then outspake Odin, the king of the gods : " Surely 
never was shown greater bravery and loyalty. Though 
the brave eagle die, his memory shall live, that gods, 
men, birds, and beasts may be inspired by his ex- 
ample." And lo ! even as the god spoke, a new tree 
grew where the noble bird's feathers and drops of 
blood had fallen upon the earth. It bore feather-like 
leaves and berries as red as drops of blood. Thus 
came the Mountain Ash to dwell in the land. 



MAKING MORE MYTHS 271 

Do you know the Mountain Ash ? 

Its leaves are shaped like feathers and its 
berries are bright red. The maker of the myth 
observed these two peculiarities of the tree and 
made the myth to explain them. 

Below are given some subjects and suggestions 
for tree myths. Choose one and make an original 
myth. 

VII. SUBJECTS FOR ORIGINAL TREE MYTHS 

1. Why Willows Droop. 

(Drooping usually suggests sadness, grief, or mourn- 
ing. Willows love to bend over water. Often willows 
are planted in burial places.) 

2. How the Umbrella Tree Came. 

(Have you ever seen an umbrella tree ? Why do 
you think it was so named ? Before it was a tree 
what might it have been ?) . 

3. Why the Birch Has White Bark. 

4. Why the Birch Bark Peels. 

5. Why Pines Have Needles. 

6. Why Willows Have Pussies. 

VIII. MAKING MORE MYTHS 

The story of Clytie is one of the best-known 
flower myths. 



272 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Clytie 

Clytie was a beautiful water nymph who loved the 
sun god Apollo. Day by day she gazed upon him ; 
when he rose, as he journeyed across the heavens, till 
he set in the evening, ever her face was turned toward 
the sun. At last her feet took root in the ground, and 
she was changed to a plant. Her face became a 
flower that constantly turned on its stem to the sun. 
Thus came to earth the first sunflower. 

From the following titles, select one and make 
a myth about it. Remember that Flora is the 
goddess of the flowers. If you wish, you may 
have her in your myth. 

Venus, the goddess of beauty, was also goddess 
of the garden flowers. 

IX. SUBJECTS FOR ORIGINAL FLOWER MYTHS 

i. How We Got the First Buttercups. 

(Might they originally have been the golden cups 
from which the gods and goddesses drank on Mount 
Olympus ? From what kind of cups might fairies 
drink ?) 

2. How the Pansy Came to Earth. 
(Have you ever seen the faces in pansies ? ) 

3. How We Got the First Ladyslipper. 

4. Why the Dandelion's Hair Turns White. 

5. How the Goldenrod Came. 



ORIGINAL BEAST MYTHS 273 

X. SUBJECTS FOR ORIGINAL BIRD MYTHS 

1. Why the Owl Says, " Who." 

2. Why Owls Sleep in the Daytime. 

3. Why the Owl's Eyes Are So Large. 

(Did Apollo, the god of the sun, or Diana, the 
moon goddess, have anything to do with the owl?) 

4. Why Crows Are Black. 

5. Why the Quail Says, " Bob White." 

XI. SUBJECTS FOR ORIGINAL BEAST MYTHS 

1. Why Cats Hate Water. 

2. Why Cats Have Hidden Claws. 

3. Why Cats Can Climb and Dogs Cannot. 

4. How the Rabbit Got His Long Ears. 

5. How the Fox Got His Cunning. 

These are only a few myth titles. If you 
will think a moment about any plant or animal, 
something suggestive of a myth will occur to 
you. The geranium buds bend down ; the daisy 
closes at night; some flowers have a delight- 
ful perfume; the blue jay calls: "Thief!" or 
"Jay ! " the kingfisher has a beautiful crest; the 
scarlet tanager has black wings ; the elephant is 
afraid of a mouse ; the lion fears the crowing of 
a cock ; the deer has fine antlers. Why ? If 



274 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

you prefer, you may make your own title instead 
of taking one of those above. 

Long ago you learned that the important 
words in titles begin with capitals. Now that 
you have learned the parts of speech, you can 
apply this more exact rule : 

In -writing titles begin all -words with capitals 
except prepositions, conjunctions, and the -words the, a, 
and an. 

The first and the last words of a title always 
begin with capitals. 

XII. WRITING AN ORIGINAL MYTH 

Choose a title from those given in the last 
three lessons, or make a title for yourself, and 
write a myth. 

XIII. HOW GREAT WRITERS REFER TO MYTHS 

The following selections illustrate some ways 
in which great writers refer to myths : 

I. Beware, my friend, of crystal brook, 
Of fountain, lest that hideous hook, 

Thy nose, thou chance to see ; 
Narcissus' fate would then be thine, 
And self-detected thou wouldst pine, 

As self-enamored he. 



HOW WRITERS REFER TO MYTHS 275 

Cowper, the poet, writes this to a very ugly 
man. Do you recall the story of Narcissus ? 
Narcissus saw himself reflected in a fountain, 
and fell in love with his own handsome face. 
Day after day he gazed on the fair image, until, 
worn out by sleeplessness and for lack of food, he 
died beside the pool. The gods in pity turned 
him into a beautiful flower, the Narcissus. 

What does the poet mean by warning the 
ugly man to keep away from brooks and foun- 
tains ? Besides being ugly, the man may have 
been conceited. 

To what myth does Moore refer in the fol- 
lowing stanza ? 

2. No, the heart that has truly loved never forgets, 

But as truly loves on to the close, 
As the sunflower turns on her god when he sets 
The same look which she turned when he rose. 

To what god does the poet sing in the fol- 
lowing ? 

3. Then I arise and climbing Heaven's blue dome, 

I walk over the mountains and the waves, 
Leaving my robe upon the ocean foam; 

My footsteps pave the clouds with fire ; the caves 
Are filled with my bright presence, and the air 
Leaves the green earth to my embraces bare. 



276 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

The sunbeams are my shafts, with which I kill 
Deceit, that loves the night and fears the day ; 

All men who do or even imagine ill 
Fly me, and from the glory of my ray 

Good minds and open actions take new might, 

Until diminished by the reign of Night. 

— Percy Bysshe Shelley 

Read the following stanzas : 

4. Queen and huntress, chaste and fair, 

Now the sun is laid to sleep, 
Seated in thy silver chair, 

State in wonted manner keep ; 
Hesperus entreats thy light, 
Goddess excellently bright. 

Lay thy bow of pearl apart, 

And thy crystal shining quiver ; 

Give unto the flying hart 

Space to breathe, how short soever ; 

Thou that mak'st a day of night, 

Goddess excellently bright. 

— Ben Jonson 

Who is the goddess that rules the night ? 

What is meant by "the sun is laid to sleep " ? 

What is Diana's " silver chair " ? 

" State in wonted manner keep " means keep 
your state in your usual manner, or rule in your 
usual manner, Diana, goddess of the moon. 



HOW WRITERS REFER TO MYTHS 277 

" Hesperus " is the evening star. 
The second stanza refers to Diana as the hunt- 
ress. 

A " hart " is a deer. 



March 

5. Slayer of winter, art thou here again? 

O welcome, thou that bring'st the summer nigh ! 
The bitter wind makes not thy victory vain, 
Nor will we mock thee for thy faint blue sky. 
Welcome, O March ! whose kindly days and dry, 
Make April ready for the throstle's song, 
Thou first redresser of the winter's wrong ! 

— William Morris 

" March " was named for Mars, the god of war. 
In the above stanza, the poet pictures March as 
the warrior who has slain the winter. To 
redress a wrong is to amend it or to set it right. 
The redresser of a wrong is the one who sets it 
right. What wrong may winter be accused of 
doing ? How does March redress this wrong ? 

6. See how Aurora throws her fair 

Fresh-quilted colors through the air. 

— Robert Herrick 

Express the meaning of the above couplet 
(two lines) in your own words. 



278 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

7. Come forth, like springtime, fresh and green, 

And sweet as Flora. 

— Robert Herrick 

Who was Flora ? How do you think she 
dressed ? Was she young ? Was she pretty ? 

Re-read the seven quotations given above, 
keeping in mind the myth to which each writer 
alluded. Which do you like best ? 

XIV. MEMORIZING A QUOTATION 

Read again the quotations in the last lesson 
marked 2, 3, 4, and 5. 

Memorize the one you like best and write it 
from memory. 

XV. THE TRUTH OF FAIRY TALES 

Like fables and myths, fairy tales are built on 
truth, they express truth — in their own way. 
Because their way of expressing truth differs 
from that of the so-called true story, fairy tales 
are none the less true. Of course fairies, as 
living beings that can be seen, do not exist. 
Probably few people over ten years of age be- 
lieve that they do, but everybody believes in the 
things for which the fairies stand. 

The fairies stand for the success of the good 



THE TRUTH OF FAIRY TALES 279 

and the failure of the bad ; they are represented 
as rewarding the good, and punishing the bad. 
The witches, giants, ogres, and dragons are the 
difficulties that we have to overcome in this 
world. 

Take the dragon, for example. In almost all 
fairy tales, the dragon lived in some dark, dismal 
swamp. For years he devoured people. Many 
tried to overcome him and failed. At last a 
knight, or a king's son, braver or wiser than the 
rest, met the dragon and conquered him. This 
dragon may well mean some terrible sickness 
that arose from some undrained, disease-breeding 
swamp, and killed the people by hundreds, until 
some man, brave and wise, overcame the plague 
— the dragon — by draining the swamp. The 
civil engineers and physicians in Cuba, in Pan- 
ama, and in other fever-stricken districts have 
met and conquered more, and more dangerous, 
dragons than all those that have ever been de- 
scribed in fairy tales. 

The dwarfs are the little bad habits to be 
overcome. Every one knows that, though they 
are little in themselves, a big fight is necessary 
to subdue these little dwarfs. 

The greatest wonders recounted in fairy tales 



280 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

are surpassed every day by actual occurrences of 
similar nature. As illustrations of this, think 
of the magic carpet that flew through the air, 
and then of our airships ; as you see an automo- 
bile go by, recall the carriage that moved alone ; 
as you take down the telephone receiver, think 
of the voice that was hidden in the wall. May 
not the old story-tellers have vaguely dreamed 
of our modern wonders ? 

No fairy tale mentions anything half as won- 
derful as the phonograph or wireless telegraphy. 

Thomas Edison makes fairy tales to become 
real — fairy tales that were beyond the dreams 
of the greatest of the old story-tellers. 

Do you recall the fairy tales in which three 
wishes are to be granted by some good fairy ? 
Foolish wishes bring bad fortune, and good 
wishes bring good fortune. Life, the most 
wonderful fairy, offers you all the wishes you 
want, and you can have them, too, if you wish 
wisely and work hard. 

How did people win the favor of the fairies ? 
Chiefly by being kind ; and to-day there is 
nothing in the world that will win more friends 
and bring greater happiness than simple kindness. 

Yes, fairy tales are really true, if only you read 



THE MEANING IN FAIRY TALES 281 

them with sympathy and understanding. And 
the better you understand them, the more truth 
you will find in them. 

XVI. THE MEANING IN FAIRY TALES 

Some of the most beautiful fairy tales are but 
real nature stories told in a fascinating way. 
One of the best known of these true nature fairy 
tales is " The Sleeping Beauty." 

The Sleeping Beauty 

To the christening feast of a little princess came 
the fairies of the land bringing wondrous gifts of 
beauty, charm, wealth, health, and happiness. Now 
it chanced that by some oversight, one fairy was not 
bidden to the feast. Enraged at the slight, she rushed 
to the palace and entered the great throne room just 
as the other fairies were bestowing their good gifts. 

Reaching forth her wand, in a hand that trembled 
with anger, she touched the infant princess, screaming, 
" I, too, though unbidden to the feast, bring a fairy- 
gift. The princess shall prick her hand with a spindle 
and die of the wound ! " 

All within hearing stood still, frozen with horror, 
till a dainty fairy stepped forth, saying, " I have still 
my gift to bestow. Unhappily I cannot undo another 
fairy's will, but I can change it. The princess shall 
not die ; she shall fall into a heavy sleep that shall last 



282 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

one hundred years. At the end of that time she shall 
be awakened by the kiss of a prince, and with him she 
shall long reign in peace and happiness/' 

The years passed until the princess was sixteen 
years old. The king had sent heralds throughout all 
the land, commanding that every spindle found within 
the borders be destroyed. The princess was beautiful, 
charming, wealthy, healthy, and happy. People had 
almost forgotten the evil prophecy uttered at the prin- 
cess's christening; but fairy wishes always come true. 
One day, in a forgotten attic-room of the palace, the 
princess found an old spindle. She took it up in her 
hands to examine it more closely, when — she pricked 
her hand with the sharp point and fell at once into a 
deep sleep. Immediately all within the palace — the 
lords and ladies, the guards and the servants — fell 
asleep wherever they chanced to be. Outside in the 
stable, the horses, the grooms, and every living creature 
fell into a like deep sleep. A thick hedge of brambles 
grew up around the palace, shutting it away from the 
rest of the world. Many tried to break through and 
enter the palace, but no man was able to make a way. 

So passed one hundred years. Then, one beautiful 
morning, a gallant prince rode through the land. He 
saw the turrets of the great castle rising above the 
bramble hedge and asked if any one lived in such a 
forlorn place. The people told him the story of the 
Sleeping Beauty as their grandparents had told it to 
them. At once the prince wheeled his horse and rode 
toward the enchanted palace. 



THE MEANING IN FAIRY TALES 283 

When he reached the bramble hedge, he drew his 
sharp sword to make a way, but lo ! a wondrous thing 
happened, — the hedge opened before him! The 
young man passed through and found himself in the 
courtyard, surrounded by sleeping servants and ani- 
mals. He entered the palace between rows of sleep- 
ing guards. From room to room he wandered, finding 
in each some sleepers. 

At length he reached a small room in the attic of 
the palace, and there, lying before him, was the most 
beautiful princess he had ever seen. Kneeling beside 
her, the prince kissed the princess and she awoke. 

Immediately every sleeper in and about the castle 
was aroused, and on all sides could be heard sounds 
of mirth and merriment and good cheer, for the long, 
long sleep was ended and the reign of peace and hap- 
piness was begun. 

Here is the true meaning of this fairy tale : 

The Sleeping Beauty represents the earth ; the 
hundred years that she sleeps are the hundred days 
of winter ; the hedge that grows around the castle is 
the snow and ice ; the sleeping servants are the insects 
and animals that sleep during the winter days ; the 
fairy prince is the sun ; the kiss that wakens the prin- 
cess is the first warm sunbeam in the springtime. 

The fairy tale of " The Sleeping Beauty/' 
under different names, was known in every land 
in the northern European countries. Warm 



284 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

countries did not have this story because the 
people did not know of an ice-bound, sleeping 
earth. 

All the old fairy tales had a meaning at the 
beginning. But as the tales were told from 
father to son for years and years, the meaning 
was gradually forgotten until at last only the 
beautiful story was left to amuse the children. 

The poets love to refer to the old fairy tales, 
and many allusions to them are found in the 
best poetry. Following are a few selections that 
show how the poets think of the forces of na- 
ture as fairies, spirits, and enchanters : 

The Frost Spirit 

i. He comes, — he comes, — the Frost Spirit comes! 

You may trace his footsteps now 
On the naked woods and the blasted fields and the 

brown hill's withered brow. 
He has smitten the leaves of the gray old trees 

where their pleasant green came forth, 
And the winds, which follow wherever he goes, 

have shaken them down to the earth. 

He comes, — he comes, — the Frost Spirit comes ! 

Let us meet him as we may, 
And turn with the light of the parlor fire his evil 

power away ; 



THE MEANING IN FAIRY TALES 285 

And gather closer the circle round, when that fire- 
light dances high, 

And laugh at the shriek of the baffled Fiend as his 
sounding wing goes by ! 

— John Greenleaf Whittier 

Does the poet look upon the frost as a good 
fairy or a wicked enchanter ? 

Can you picture the frost as a strong, cruel 
giant sweeping over the earth and doing all the 
damage he can ? Who follows and aids him ? 

How can people break the Frost Spirit's 
spell ? (See the last stanza.) 

What does the word " baffled " mean ? 

What does the Frost Spirit do when he finds 
his spell broken ? Have you ever heard any 
sound outside your windows that sounded like 
the shriek of a " baffled fiend " or evil spirit ? 
What was it ? 

The Snowflakes 

2. And some, as on tender wings they glide 

From their chilly birth-cloud, dim and gray, 
Are joined in their fall, and, side by side, 
Come clinging along their unsteady way. 

— William Cullen Bryant 

What do the snowflakes suggest in the above 
stanza ? 



286 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Ode to the West Wind 

3. O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's 

being, 
Thou from whose unseen presence the leaves 

dead 
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing. 

— Percy Bysshe Shelley 

Here the poet thinks of the wind as an invis- 
ible, powerful enchanter. 

The Mayflowers 

4. So through the Plymouth woods John Alden went 

on his errand ; 

Crossing the brook at the ford, where it brawled 
over pebble and shallow, 

Gathering still, as he went, the Mayflowers bloom- 
ing around him, 

Fragrant, filling the air with a strange and wonder- 
ful sweetness, 

Children lost in the woods, and covered with 
leaves in their slumber. 

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

To what does Longfellow liken the May- 
flowers, hidden under their leaves ? 
What fairy tale has he in mind ? 



A STORY TO FINISH 287 

XVII. MEMORIZING AND WRITING A 
QUOTATION 

Read again the quotations in the last lesson. 
Memorize the one you like best. Write it 
from memory. 

Whenever the writer has spoken of the Frost 
Spirit, he begins the name with capital letters. 
This he does because he speaks to the frost as if 
it were a person. What other words in the 
quotations begin with capitals because the writer 
talks as though the things mentioned were 
alive — were real persons ? 

XVIII. A STORY TO FINISH 

Hans Tanner, the crippled shoemaker, was in sore 
trouble. Gretchen, his good wife, was very ill. Now, 
you know, medicine and doctors and dainty food for 
an invalid cost a great deal, and Hans had no money 
to buy these needed things. Nor could he earn 
money, for it was summer and what need had the 
good people of the village for shoes ? You might 
think this was trouble enough for one man, but a still 
worse misfortune shadowed Hans's life. By thinking 
of his troubles day and night, he became cross, hate- 
ful, and disagreeable. No one received a smile or 
a kind word from him — not even poor suffering 
Gretchen. 



288 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

One day he said to himself, " This suffering is too 
great to be borne. I will run away from it. Surely 
out in the great world there is some place where I can 
find work and happiness." 

And without bidding Gretchen good-by, he stole 
from the house and started toward the great city 
many miles away. 

As Hans was a cripple, he made slow progress, and 
nightfall found him in a great forest. Knowing that 
he would lose his way if he proceeded in the dark, he 
lay down under a tree to rest until morning. 

As he lay brooding over his troubles, he heard a 
voice say, " Hans Tanner, I have heard of your great 
suffering and I have come to help you." 

Quickly Hans turned toward this voice. 

Finish this story and give it a suitable title. 
The following suggestions may help you : 

Whom did Hans see when he turned toward the 
voice ? (A fairy, a wood nymph, Diana, a real per- 
son ?) 

How did the speaker help him ? (By giving him 
a fairy gift, a wish, medicine to cure Gretchen, work, 
money ?) 

End the story as you please, but do not for- 
get Hans's worst trouble. In order to make 
your story complete, Hans must be cured of his 
discontent. He may have been shown that, 



WRITING ORIGINAL ENDINGS 289 

compared to some lives, his was at least bearable. 
He may have been taught this by seeing how 
others toiled and suffered, or he may have been 
forced to lead a life of hardship and suffering 
for a while, or this truth may have been shown 
him in a dream. 

How might Hans be shown that a cripple 
was not the most to be pitied person in the 
world ? How could he be shown that, com- 
pared to Gretchen's, his was an easy life ? How 
could he be shown that poverty is not the worst 
thing in the world ? How could he be shown 
that a discontented, unhappy heart is the saddest 
of all troubles ? 

When he has learned his lesson, what change 
will take place in his face ? his voice ? his work ? 

XIX. WRITING AN ORIGINAL ENDING TO 

A STORY 

Write the ending to the story in the last 
lesson. Give your story a title. Begin your 
paper as follows : 

(Title) 

Part II 
Quickly Hans turned toward the voice. 



CHAPTER TWENTY 

PICTURE STORIES 
I, MAKING STORIES FROM A PICTURE 

What kind of stories does this picture sug- 
gest ? fairy stories ? 

Who is the man on the horse — a knight, 
a king, a prince ? On what quest is he bent ? 
Does he seek to reach the castle on the hill ? 
Why ? Have others tried before him ? What 
has become of them ? If he reaches the castle, 
what reward will he receive ? If he fails, what 
will happen ? 

What stops him on his journey ? Is this a 
real giant or a statue ? Perhaps he was once 
fully alive, but the knight overcame him. 
What might the knight have had to help him ? 
Here are a few suggestions. You can doubtless 
think of many more. 

A magic sword. 
A fairy lance. 
Thor's hammer. 
One of Jove's thunderbolts. 
290 




291 



292 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

The helmet of Minerva. 

The shield of Mars. 

A magic horse. 

Some words of magic charm. 

A brave, loving heart. 

Any of the things mentioned above might 
overcome the strongest giant. 

Perhaps it is not a real giant. He may be 
a great difficulty to overcome, or a fear to sub- 
due, or a temptation to meet and overthrow. 

Who has placed him in the knight's path — 
a witch or wicked magician who wishes no one 
to reach the palace ? Or has the king put him 
there to test the bravery of his knights ? 

This picture may suggest a nature myth to 
you. The giant may be winter or the old year, 
the knight may be spring or the new year. 

Whatever kind of story you make, the teach- 
ing will be the same. The youth, represented 
by the knight, sets out to win a high place for 
himself, — wealth, knowledge, fame. His am- 
bition is represented by the castle on the 
height. The way to his ambition is rough 
and steep, as shown by the road to the castle. 
On the way he meets many dangers, repre- 
sented by the giant, that he must overcome 



MAKING STORIES FROM A PICTURE 293 

before he can reach his heart's desire. In the last 
chapter, you learned that hidden in every fairy 
tale there was some truth. This is the truth in 
the story you are to make from this picture. 

Before making your story, read the following 
poem : 

The Will and the Way 

It was a noble Roman, 

In Rome's imperial day, 
Who heard a coward croaker, 

Before the battle, say : 
cc They're safe in such a fortress ; 

There is no way to shake it — " 
" On ! on ! - exclaimed the hero, 

" I'll find a way, or make it ! " 

Is fame your aspiration? 

Her path is steep and high : 
In vain he seeks the temple, 

Content to gaze and sigh ! 
The shining throne is waiting, 

But he alone can take it 
Who says with Roman firmness, 

" I'll find a way, or make it ! " 

Is learning your ambition ? 

There is no royal road ; 
Alike the peer and peasant 

Must climb to her abode ; 



294 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Who feels the thirst for knowledge, 

In Helicon may slake it, 
If he has still the Roman will 

To " find a way, or make it ! " 

— John G. Saxe 

II. TELLING STORIES FROM A PICTURE 

(See picture, p. 291) 

III. MORE PICTURE STORIES 

Here is another picture of a knight engaged 
in some great quest ; and here is the beginning 
of a story suggested by the picture : 

The Lamp of Truth 

Years and years ago there was in the world a temple 
made all of dazzling marble. On a high stand of 
shining gold in the exact center of the temple stood a 
very small brass lamp. It seemed a very common 
lamp, but really it was the most wonderful lamp in all 
the world, — the lamp in which ever burned the Light 
of Truth. Were this light turned on a man, all 
the thoughts of his mind and the desires of his heart 
could be read as plainly as the words on the written 
page. 

Many great kings desired this lamp, that by its 
wonderful light they could test the love and loyalty of 
their councilors and people. So kings and lords and 




295 



296 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

nobles set out on a great quest for the Lamp of 
Truth. 

Now so great a gift could not be placed in heedless 
hands, so the gods decided to make the quest a most 
difficult one. Upon reaching the entrance to the tem- 
ple, every man had to pass three tests, — one to prove 
his courage, one to prove his wisdom, and one to prove 
his truth. He who stood the tests should have the 
Lamp of Truth for his own ; but all who failed were 
turned into steps before the doorway, each step lifting 
the temple farther from the earth and nearer to the 
heavens. Each one who failed thus made it more 
difficult for the next comer to reach the temple. 
What these tests were no one living knew, for all who 
had tried and failed were turned into stone steps, until 
at length a stairway of a thousand steps led to the 
door of the temple. 

Far away in the East there lived a prince so daunt- 
less, wise, and loyal that his people called him True- 
heart. To his ears came the story of the Lamp of 
Truth, and he made up his mind to risk the great ad- 
venture. 

Continue the story. The following questions 
may help you: 

Whom did the prince meet on the stairway ? Is 
she a fairy godmother to help, or a witch to hinder the 
prince ? 

What test was given the prince to prove his bravery? 



MORE PICTURE STORIES 297 

Could the lion have any part in the test ? How ? 
Perhaps Mars provided some test. 

What test was given to prove the prince's wisdom ? 
May the person speaking to him ask some question, 
or give him some choice to prove him ? Just what 
question or what choice ? Perhaps Minerva put him 
to some test. 

What test was given to prove the prince's truth? 
Could any test be better than turning the light of the 
Lamp of Truth upon him ? 

How did the prince stand each test? 

Here is an ending to the story : 

So Prince Trueheart, bearing aloft the sacred Lamp 
of Truth, passed from the temple and descended the 
stairway of a thousand steps. Then he turned and let 
the glorious light shine on the stairs, and lo ! a won- 
drous thing came to pass ! The stone steps became 
men. Kings, princes, knights, and nobles resumed 
their true forms, for nothing false could continue 
beneath the light of truth ; and the light shone clear 
and steady upon them, until it reached their hearts and 
they were filled with the truth. Then each man 
returned to his own land, carrying with him a share of 
the wondrous light; and by that light did each wisely 
govern and fairly judge his people. 

So was the light of truth scattered throughout all 
the earth that men might know the truth and do the 
right. 



298 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

Read very carefully the beginning and end of 
the story. Write your part so that a person, 
hearing the whole story read aloud, will not be 
able to tell which part is given in the book and 
which part you have written. 

IV. STILL MORE PICTURE STORIES 

The two preceding pictures suggested stories 
of knightly quest. This picture shows a boy 
performing a true knightly deed. He proves 
he is a true, brave knight by rescuing the weak. 
He proves his wisdom in the way he rescues 
his playmate. A foolish person would not 
think to throw himself on the ice as this boy 
has done. What would happen if the boy stood 
near the edge of the broken ice ? 

Write the story this picture tells to you. 




2Q9 



CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE 

ABOUT EXPLANATIONS AND REASONS; WRITING FROM 
DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS; LETTERS 

I. STUDYING AN EXPLANATION 



Tit-tat-toe 

Tit-tat-toe is an Indian game, and is played with 
grains of Indian corn. A piece of board is grooved 

with a jackknife in the 
manner shown in the dia- 
gram. 

One player has three red 
or yellow grains of corn, 
and the other an equal num- 
ber of white ones. The 
player who won the last 
game has the "go" — that 
is, he first puts down a grain 
of corn at any place where the lines intersect, but 
usually in the middle, as that is the best point. Then 
the other player puts down one, and so on until all 
are down. After this, the players move alternately 
along any of the lines, in any direction, to the next 
intersection, provided it is not already occupied. 
The one who first succeeds in getting his three 

300 




STUDYING AN EXPLANATION 301 

grains in a row wins the point, and the board is 

cleared for a new start. 

— Edward Eggleston 
From The Hoosier Schoolboy 

The above explanation of the way Indian 
children played the game, " Tit-tat-toe," is so 
clear that anybody who understands the words 
and reads it thoughtfully, could play the 
game. 

What does " grooved " mean? 

" Intersect " means to cut through or into. 
The lines in the diagram intersect at the points 
marked with the figures, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 

7> 8 > 9- 

" Alternately " means in turns, that is, the 

first player moves from one point to another, 

then the second player moves, then the first 

again, — turn and turn about. 

How many players take part in the game ? 

How many points are always vacant ? 

Something to Do at Home 

Draw the diagram on a piece of paper and play the 
game, following the explanations, or rules, given by 
the author. In place of grains of corn what might be 
used? 



3 02 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

II. WRITING AN EXPLANATION 

The explanation given in the last lesson was 
a good explanation. It was good because it 
was clear. You could understand it and do just 
what it told you to do. The diagram helped 
to make the explanation clear. 

Write on one of the following subjects. 
Make your explanation clear. Use a diagram 
if you think it will help your readers to under- 
stand better. 

How to Play Tit-tat-toe (Not the Indian game, 
but the game you play). 

How to Play Hop-Scotch. 

How to Play Marbles. 

How to Play Croquet. 

How to Play Tennis. 

How to Play Football. 

How to Play Baseball. 

How to Play Basketball. 

How to Play Cross-tag. 

How to Play Hide-and-seek. 

How to Play Hare and Hounds. 

How to Play Hockey. 

If you wish, you may explain how some 
game not given in the above list is played. 



TWO VIEWS OF THE SAME THING 303 

III. TESTING EXPLANATIONS 
IV. TWO VIEWS OF THE SAME THING 

Spring Cleaning 

One morning in spring the rooks were busy clear- 
ing out their old last year's nests to make room for 
new ones. This they did by throwing all the old 
twigs to the ground. Below, two women were busy 
with their spring cleaning. 

" Look at those women," said an old rook. " They 
threw all their old chairs and tables and sofas and beds 
out of doors, and now they are carrying them back 
into the house. I do believe they are going to use the 
old things another year." 

" How lazy ! " exclaimed a second bird. " Why 
don't they make new ones ? " 

" Very unhealthy, I call it," said a third. " I never 
use the same sticks twice in my nest." 

"Well," broke in a fourth, "what can you expect 
of folks who beat the rags they use to cover their 
floors and fill the air with dust for us to breathe ? 
Just look at that woman now ! " 

" Yes," continued a fifth, " and they blow smoke 
through those ugly red things they call chimneys, right 
into our clean, sweet homes. They should be shot ! " 

"Indeed they should! They are not fit to live! 
They don't know what cleanliness means ! " cawed all 
the rooks together. 



304 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

" Listen to those noisy rooks," said one of the 
women. " They have been chattering all morning. 
It is too bad that the lazy creatures have no house- 
cleaning to keep them busy." 

Cf Just see the litter they have made ! All the old 
sticks from last year's nests are scattered over the 
lawn. They should be shot ! " replied the neighbor. 

— English Fable 

In this fable are two different views of the 
same matter. What was the rooks' idea of the 
women's way of cleaning house? What was 
the women's idea of the rooks' manner of 
housecleaning ? Who were right, and who 
were wrong ; or were both the women and the 
rooks right, from their standpoints ? 

Write, in order, the criticisms that the rooks 
made on the women's way of spring cleaning. 
Arrange the criticisms on your papers as follows : 

i. The women throw out their old furniture, then 
carry it back into the house and use it for another 
year. 

2. They are lazy because they do not make new 
furniture. 

3- 

4- 

5- 
6. 



ANSWERING CRITICISMS 305 

V. DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW 

Two birds were building their nest in a tree 
near the place where some men were building a 
house. The birds criticised the men's work, and 
the men criticised the birds' work. Below are 
some of the things the birds said about the house: 

1. It takes too much time to build it. 

2. The timbers are too heavy. If one should fall 
on a baby, it would kill him. 

3. It is foolish to dig into the earth. A cellar 
must be damp and unhealthy. 

4. How stupid to cover the whole top (roof) and 
then to cut little holes (windows and doors) to admit 
light and air, and to pass through. Why not leave it 
all uncovered ? 

5. What a noise they make ! (tools) 

6. What's the use of those squares of red brick on 
top ? (chimneys) 

7. They live too long in one house. Why don't 
they build a new one every spring ? 

Write some criticisms that the men might 
make of the birds' house. 

VI. ANSWERING CRITICISMS 

Write the answers that the men might make 
to the birds' criticisms of their housebuilding. 



306 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

VII. WRITING A STORY 

Write the story of the men and the birds. 
Make it like the fable, " Spring Cleaning." 
Select a good title. 

VIII. A LETTER 

Your uncle has written to invite you to spend 
the month of August at his summer home in 
the country. In his letter he says, " I don't 
know whether to take a horse and carriage with 
me or an automobile. Write and tell me which 
you think would be better and why." 

Write a reply to your uncle's letter, first ac- 
cepting his invitation, for which you will thank 
him. Then tell him whether you would rather 
have a horse or an automobile in the country, 
and give him all the reasons you can to prove 
to him that your choice is a wise one. 

IX. HOW TO DO THINGS 

From the following list select a subject, and 
come to school to-morrow prepared to tell in 
one minute or less just how to do the thing to 
which your subject refers. You may bring to 
class anything that will help the pupils under- 



GIVING REASONS 307 

stand more clearly. If you wish, instead of one 
of these subjects, you may speak on something 
else that you have done. 

How to Make a Jack-o'-Lantern. 

How to Make Bread. 

How to Make Fudge. 

How to Clean Windows. 

How to Remove a Grease Spot. 

How to Clean the Teeth. 

How to Care for a Dog. 

How to Get on and off a Car. 

How to Open a Book. 

How to Build a Fire. 

How to Prepare for a Walk in the Rain. 

How to Plant a Field of Corn. 

How to Catch Woodchucks. 

How to Harness a Horse. 

How to Teach a Dog to Do Tricks. 

Think out carefully just what you are going 
to say. Make your explanation so clear that 
any one, by following your directions, could do 
the thing you explain. 

X. GIVING REASONS 

Write a short composition in answer to one 
of the following questions. Give a suitable title 
to your composition. Make your reasoning as 



3 o8 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

strong as you can ; try to convince some one 
that you are right in your choice or in your 
point of view. 

i. What is your favorite study? Why? 

2. Which study do you dislike most ? Why ? 

3. Why should pupils correct their own mistakes 
in language ? 

4. Do you like to skate ? Why, or why not ? 

5. What is your favorite winter sport? Why? 

6. What is your favorite summer sport? Why? 

7. Why should pupils be at their desks when the 
bell rings ? 

8. Should children buy their own schoolbooks ? 
Why, or why not ? 

9. Should the schools close for Columbus Day ? 
Why, or why not ? 

10. What do you consider the best sport for boys ? 
Why? 

1 1. What do you consider the best sport for girls ? 
Why? 

12. Would you rather live in the city or in the 
country ? Why ? 

13. Which is the better pet, a dog or a canary ? 

XL NEWSPAPER HEADINGS 

Here are some newspaper headings taken 
from real papers. Write a short story that 
might appear under some one of them ; or, bet- 



ONE-MINUTE STORIES 309 

ter, think of some exciting or interesting occur- 
rence that you have seen or about which you 
know, give it a newspaper heading, and write 
the story. 

1. Fireman Saves a Teddy Bear. 

(The Teddy bear was in a child's crib. Why 
did the fireman risk his life to save it ? Tell 
of the discovery and the rescue.) 

2. Cat Saves Three Kittens from Flames. 

3. Terrier Calls up Central. 

4. Dog Saves Six Lives. 

5. Almost a Fatal Automobile Accident. 

6. Daring Rescue at Briny Beach. 

7. Engineer Saves Train, but Dies at His Post. 

8. Three Men Rescued at Sea. 

9. Adrift for Four Days in an Open Boat. 

XII. ONE-MINUTE STORIES 

Be prepared to tell at the next lesson an in- 
teresting story on one of the following subjects, 
or you may tell any other amusing story that 
you know. Your story may be true or you may 
make an original tale. Tell your story first at 
home, so as to get it within the time limit — one 
minute. 

1. A Good April Fool Joke. 

2. A Hallowe'en Trick. 

3. A Sleight-of-hand Trick. 



CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO 

MATERIAL FOR SUPPLEMENTARY WORK AND REVIEWS 

I. STORIES FOR STUDY, DICTATION, AND 
REPRODUCTION 

1. The Ant Who Would Not Hinder 

One day an ant went to visit a neighbor. She 
peeped in and saw that her friend was very busy. 
Quietly she turned and came away, saying, " I cannot 
help and I will not hinder." 

2. The Boy and the Bird 

A little boy watched a sparrow hopping about in 
the snow. 

" Poor little bird ! " he thought. " How cold he 
must be without any warm clothes like mine/' 

The sparrow flew to a bush, thinking, " How cold 
that little boy must be. Poor child ! He hasn't a sin- 
gle feather." 

3. The Fox and the Ape 

" Tell me the name of any beast, however talented, 
that I cannot imitate ! " boasted the ape to the fox. 

The fox replied, " Tell me the name of any beast, 
however worthless, that would trouble itself to imitate 
thee ! " 

310 



STORIES FOR STUDY 311 

4. The Eagle 

" Why do you rear your eaglets in such high 
places ? " asked a man of an eagle. 

The latter replied, " Would they venture so near 
the sun when full grown, if I built my nest on the 
ground ? " 

5. Stonewall Jackson 

During a battle in the Mexican War, many of the 
men ran away. Stonewall Jackson was one of the few 
who held his ground and fought to the end. 

After the battle some one asked him why he did 
not run away as others had done. 

He answered, " I was not ordered to do so. I was 
ordered to hold my position and I had no right to 
leave it." 

6. Bayard 

Bayard was called the " Knight without fear and 
without shame." 

For many days Bayard, with a handful of troops, 
defended a weak old castle against a great army. 

The queen asked the defeated general, " With so 
many men and guns, how could you fail to take that 
old pigeon house ? " 

" Because, Madame, there was an eagle in it," was 
the answer. 

7. The Death of Bayard 

The French army was retreating before the Span- 
iards. Bayard and a small force were trying to cover 



3 i2 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

the retreat, when Bayard was mortally wounded. His 
men lifted him from the saddle and laid him beneath 
a tree. 

" Nay, not this way/' murmured the knight. " Turn 
me that I may die facing the foe." 

8. A Brave Captive 

Caractacus, a British chief, was conquered by the 
Romans and brought before their emperor. 

" I see that thou, too, art a warrior like myself," 
said the emperor. 

Caractacus drew himself up proudly and answered, 
" Nay, not like thee ! Ye fight to gain the whole 
world and to make men your slaves. I fought for 
my own land and for freedom ! " 

II. STORIES TO FINISH 

1. A Wight Alarm 

It was midnight. Every member of the family w T as 
fast asleep. Suddenly their dreams were scattered by 
a loud noise. Again it sounded and again. 

" It is some one knocking at the front door," said 
Mother. 

" No. It is something thumping on the front 
porch," said Tom. 

Bang! bang! bang! came the sound again. Father 
started toward the door. 

"Come back, Father ! " cried May. " I am afraid." 



STORIES TO FINISH 313 

Father only smiled at May as he walked to the 
door. He drew back the bolt and threw open the 
door. There 

2. The Surprise 

On his return from school one afternoon, John 
found a strange-looking package on his desk. He 
asked his mother and his sister if they had put it there. 
They answered that they had not, that they had not 
even seen the package. They also said that nobody had 
entered John's room since he left the house at noon. 

" Where, then, did it come from ? What can be 
in it ? " asked John. 

" There is only one way to find out," said his 
mother. "Open the package/' 

John opened his knife slowly and cut the string. 
The wrapping papers fell apart and 

3. Who Stole the Jack-o' -Lantern ? 

Two boys made a jack-o'-lantern and placed it on 
the gate post. They planned to light it after dark to 
frighten any who might* pass by. 

Their mother sent the boys on an errand. They 
left their dog, Rover, in charge of the jack-o'-lantern. 
When they returned, Rover was still on guard, but 
the jack-o'-lantern had disappeared. They knew 
Rover would let no stranger touch it. Only mother 
was at home, and she had not left the house except 
to drive the cow from the front yard. Who, then, 
could have stolen the jack-o'-lantern ? 



3H SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

4. The Rescue of the Princess 

A beautiful princess was walking in a forest, when 
she heard a loud roar. In great fear she looked up. 
There in front of her was an awful lion. She turned 
to the right, another lion stood there. Several deep 
roars told her, even before she had time to see, that 
she was completely surrounded by the wild beasts. 

Poor little princess ! There seemed no way of 
escape. She was sinking to the earth in terror, 
when 

III. SUBJECTS FOR OTHER STORIES 

i. How the Joker Had the Joke Turned on 
Himself. 

2. My Greatest Surprise. 

3. The Funniest Story I Know. 

4. A Good Hallowe'en Trick. 

5. How I Missed a Good Dinner. 

6. The Day I Spent Shopping. 

7. A Good Fishing Trip. 

8. My First Knife. 

9. My Best-loved Toy. 
10. The Time I Helped. 

IV. TITLES FOR MYTHS 

1. How We Got the First Tulip. 

2. Where the Firefly Got His Light. 

3. How the Daisy Got Her White Frill. 

4. The First Caterpillar. 



LETTERS 315 

5. Why the Cat Can See at Night. 

6. Why the Daisy Has but One Eye. 

7. Why the Tiger Lily Has Spots. 

8. Why the Water Lily Has Gold ia Its Cup. 

9. Why the Pink Has Fringes. 

0. Where the Sheep Got Their Wool. 

1. How the Cotton Became Fluffy. 

2. Why Some Corn Pops. 

3. Why the Mole Lives in the Ground. 

4. The First Butterfly. 

5. Why the Cricket Brings Good Luck. 

6. Why Roses Have Thorns. 

7. How the Lion Got His Shaggy Mane. 

8. The First Snow. 

9. The First Turtle. 

20. Why the Grass Has No Flowers. 

V. LETTERS 

1. Invitations 

One day Grace Brook received the following 
invitation : 

&va&& $voofc'a> fo / v&Qs& , yi&& at a- 1}al&ntvyi& J^oaXm to- 6*& 
qiv-e^rv yi&xt ^atuvcLcvu &v-eM,iAia bu>vyv &uzkt to tew. 
§ixfhtAf-t<yw'b ^wnuwv&v ^tv&et, 
^aJjwuLoAf, &eAvu,avy> tk& Q/&v-&nth. 

" What a queer letter ! " cried Grace. " It 
doesn't seem at all as if Mrs. Walter were writ- 



316 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

ing to me. It seems as if the paper were a 
messenger telling me what Mrs. Walter wants, 
just as Bridget came over yesterday and said, 
< Mrs. Walter wants to know if Mrs. Brook will 
lend her the rule for the chocolate fudge cake/ " 

" Good/' said Mother. " That is just how a 
formal note like your invitation should read, — 
just as if the paper were a third person, telling 
you a message from another." 

Read the invitation once more. Notice 
where the address and the date are written. 
There are no abbreviations used in the address 
or date. The day of the month is written 
seventh, not 7. 

William Brook, Grace's brother, also received 
an invitation to the valentine party. Read 
Grace's invitation once more, then close your 
book and write the invitation William received. 

2. Accepting an Invitation 

On Monday morning Grace said, " O Mother, 
may I go to Mrs. Walter's valentine party ? ' 

" Yes," answered Mother, " and now you 
may write a note to Mrs. Walter, telling her 
that you are pleased to accept her kind invita- 
tion." 



LETTERS 317 

" Mother, must I write ? May I not run over 
and tell her Pll surely be there ? " said Grace. 

" No ! " answered Mother, " every written 
invitation must have a written answer, and the 
answer should be returned as soon as possible, so 
that the person giving the party may know just 
how many guests to expect. 

" Get your pencil and a piece of paper and 
I will help you write your note." 

Grace brought paper and pencil, and Mother 
continued, " You said your invitation read as 
if the paper were a messenger telling you what 
Mrs. Walter wanted. Write your answer so 
that your paper will seem a messenger from you 
to Mrs. Walter." 

Grace wrote and Mother helped, and soon the 
following note was written : 

?V{\aa/ &va&& Bvo-ok, (M&e,jafco, w-itk jbt&a&wie> 7?lv&. 
l^att&v' a> k,im,cL Cn>v-vLaZbcyyi lav rue^ot ^atwvcia^u &v-&viOvia. 
cAvvietAf-twfr l/O-vnt&v OCv-& / n,M&, 
Tyio-yvcLorUr &&6-11UIVU tk& nwyitk. 

" Now," said Mother, " copy your letter in 
ink and mail it." \ 

Read again Grace's 'note accepting Mrs. 
Walter's invitation. Suppose Mrs. Walter has 



318 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

sent you an invitation, — write an answer ac- 
cepting it. Your note will be exactly like 
Grace's, except that you will use your own 
name and address and the date of to-day,, 

3. Declining an Invitation 

Poor William could not accept his invitation 
to Mrs. Walter's valentine party because he was 
ill, so Mother wrote and sent the following note 
for him : 

TVlv. W^vllvciwv Bvoofc v&yv&t& that (Zln&a^ ftv&v-& / vit& faU, 
a,&&& / fi)£aM,&& at TVIm. W^alt&v^ foivicL CrLV^taZvo-ru lav n&vcfc 

Suppose you are unable to accept Mrs. 
Walter's invitation, — write the reply that you 
would send to her. 

4. Writing Invitations 
Write one of the following : 

(a) An invitation to a friend to attend a party at 
your home next Thursday evening. 

(J?) An invitation to a parent or friend to attend a 
concert at your school next Friday evening. This 
invitation should come from the class or the school, 
as — 



LETTERS 319 

The Pupils of the Sixth Grade request — 



or 



The Pupils of the Franklin School request — 

(c) An invitation to inspect the sewing work of 

the girls in the class. 

{d) An invitation to inspect the manual training 

work of the boys. 

5. Writing an Acceptance 

Write a note accepting one of the invitations 
given above. 

6. Writing a Note of Regrets 

Write a note declining one of the invitations 
given above. 

7. Studying a Business Letter 

One morning Mr. Dane, the principal of the 
Washington School at Norton, New Jersey^ 
received the following letter : 

Franklin School, 

Adams, N. J., June 5, 1914. 
Mr. F. W. Dane, 

Principal of Washington School, 
Norton, N. J. 

My dear Mr. Dane : 

The pupils of the Franklin School are arranging 
for a series of games and athletic contests for the com- 



320 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

ing year. The boys would like to meet the teams 
from other schools in baseball, football, and ice hockey. 
The girls are especially interested in basketball and 
field hockey. 

Will you please ask a girl and a boy in your school to 
write to me, telling me what teams, if any, have already 
been formed ? If you have no regular teams, I should 
like to know in what sports or games the girls and boys 
are most interested, and whether they would consider 
forming themselves into an athletic association and 
playing against the girls or boys of the Franklin School. 

Very truly yours, 
John Rand, 

Principal of Franklin School. 

The letters that you have had to study before 
this were friendly letters, or social letters. The 
above letter is a business letter. Mr. Rand 
wants some information. He writes direct to 
the one who can give him this information. 
He wastes no words, but states clearly just what 
he wants. 

The heading, like the heading of friendly 
letters, gives the place in full and the date : 

Franklin School, 
Adams, N. J., June 5, 1914. 

The introduction differs from the introduc- 
tion of the friendly letter. It contains the name 



LETTERS 321 

of the person to whom the letter is written, his 
title, his address, and the salutation : 

Mr. F. W. Dane, (Name) 

Principal of Washington School (Title) 

Norton, N. J. (Address) 

My dear Mr. Dane : (Salutation) 

When the gentleman addressed is not person- 
ally known to the writer, the salutation is usu- 
ally, Dear Sir : or, My dear Sir : Did Mr. 
Rand know Mr. Dane ? 

What marks of punctuation are used in the 
introduction ? Where ? The mark ( : ) after 
" My dear Mr. Dane " is called a colon, and is 
generally used in business letters. 

Note how this letter ends. 

Suppose you were the boy or girl selected to 
answer Mr. Rand's letter, your heading should 
give,— 

The name of your school, 
City, State, Date. 

The introduction to your letter should give, — 

Name of person, 
His title, 
Address. 

Salutation : 



322 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

You should tell Mr. Rand that Mr. Dane 
has asked you to write to him regarding the 
sports and games in which the boys (or girls) 
of your school are interested. Tell him if 
there are any regular teams, and, if so, for what 
games. If there are no teams, tell him the 
favorite games and sports and whether you 
would like to form an athletic association and 
play the boys (or girls) of the Franklin School. 

Close your letter with Tours truly, or Very 
truly yours, or Tours respectfully, and sign your 
name. 

8. Writing a Business Letter 

After reading Mr. Rand's letter through care- 
fully (p. 321), write the answer that a boy or 
girl in the Washington School might have 
written. 

Copy the form of the heading, introduction, 
and ending in Mr. Rand's letter. In your letter 
waste no words, but tell Mr. Rand just exactly 
what he wants to know. 

9. Another Business Letter 

Write a letter to Mr. Thomas Marsh, princi- 
pal of the Grant School, Byfield, N. J., asking the 
boys or girls in his school to join a game league. 



THE USE OF CAPITALS 323 

VI. THE USE OF CAPITALS 
Capital letters are used to begin : 

1. The first word of every sentence. 

See the falling snow. 

2. The important words in titles. 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. 

3. Proper nouns and words made from them. 

America, American. 

4. The first word of every line of poetry. 

"Oft have I walked these woodland paths 
Without the blest foreknowing 
That underneath the withered leaves 
The fairest buds were growing/' 

5. The first word of every direct quotation. 

The soldier answered, " My captain, I am 
ready." 

6. Abbreviations. 

Gen., Mrs., St., Oct. 

7. Initials. 

J. T. Brown, M. H. Hunt. 

8. The pronoun /. 

It is I. 

9. The interjection O. 

I cannot ! O I cannot ! 

10. Names of God. 

Master, Almighty, Father. 

11. Names of the days of the week, and of months. 

Monday, June. 



324 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

12. Names of holidays. 

Thanksgiving, Memorial Day. 

13. Titles of honor or office. 

President Wilson, General Grant, 

14. Salutation and ending of letters. 

Dear Tom, My dear Mr. Dane. 
Very truly yours, Yours truly. 

VII. USES OF PUNCTUATION MARKS 

1 . A period is used — 

(a) After a statement. 

The book is torn. 

(b) After a command. 

Bring the book to me. 

(c) After an abbreviation. 

Mr., P.O., Oct. 

2. A question mark is used after a question. 

When are you going ? 

3 . An exclamation point is used : 

( a) At the end of an exclamatory sentence. 

How vivid the lightning is ! 
(b) After an interjection. 

Alas ! Oh ! Pshaw ! 

4. A comma or commas are used : 

(a) To separate from the rest of the sen- 
tence : 



USES OF PUNCTUATION MARKS 325 

(1) A direct quotation. 

" I cannot say/' said John. 

"Come," said Tom, "it is time to go." 

(2) The name of a person addressed. 

John, come to me. 

See, Fred, the sun is shining. 

(3) Yes and No, the opposite of yes. 

Yes, I will go. 
No, I must wait. 

(4) Words that explain others. 

Mars, the god of war, ruled. 

(b) To separate : 

(1) The parts of dates : 

School closed June 19, 19 14. 

(2) The parts of the introduction of letters. 

Mr. John Rand, 

Adams, N. J. 

(3) The complimentary ending in letters from 

the signature. 
Yours truly, 

John Dean. 

(4) Words in series, unless a conjunction joins 

each two words of the series. 
Bluebirds, robins, jays, blackbirds, and 
woodpeckers lived in the orchard. 

5. A colon is placed after the salutation in 
a business letter. 

Sirs : Dear Sirs : Gentlemen : 



326 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

6. The hyphen is used : 

(a) Between the parts of a compound word. 

Forget-me-not. 

(b) Between syllables of a word written on two 

lines. 

....... 1 1 is ai~ 

most time for the robins . . . 

j. Quotation marks are used to inclose all the 
words of a direct quotation. 

" The lesson is ended/' said the master, " and 
playtime is here." 

VIII. THE PARTS OF SPEECH 

Words are divided into eight classes accord- 
ing to their uses in sentences. These classes are 
called the Parts of Speech. 

The Parts of Speech are : 

Nouns Verbs Prepositions 

Pronouns Adverbs Conjunctions 

Adjectives Interjections 

i. A word used as a name is called a noun. 

John lost his book in Boston. 
John, book, and Boston are nouns. 

2. A word used for a noun is called a pro- 
noun. 



THE PARTS OF SPEECH 327 

Mary tore her dress and Mother mended it. 
Her and it are pronouns. 

3. A word joined to a noun or pronoun to 
limit or describe is called an adjective. 

The first sweet bird of spring has come. 
The, first, and sweet are adjectives. 

4. Words that tell what some one or some- 
thing does are called verbs. 

The cannon roared, the bells rang, and the people 

shouted. 
Roared, rang, and shouted are verbs. 

5. An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, 
an adjective, or another adverb. 

So many people read too fast. 
So, too, and fast are adverbs. 

6. Words that show relation are called prepo- 
sitions. 

The book on the table is the one I gave to you. 
On and to are prepositions. 

7. Words that connect or join other words 
are called conjunctions. 

Tom or John lost the books and pencils. 
Or and and are conjunctions. 



328 SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

8. An interjection is a word thrown in to ex- 
press strong or sudden feeling. 

Hush ! hark ! I hear a noise ! 



Hush and hark are interjections. 



INDEX 



The numerals refer to pages. 



Abbreviations, 101-102, 105. 
Adjectives : 

Comparison of, 1 68- 170. 

Definition, 167. 

Kinds of, 167, 168. 

Reviews, 184-185. 

Selecting, 178-181. 
Adverbs : 

As modifiers of verbs, 203. 

Definition, 204. 

Misused, 207. 

Other uses of, 206. 

Selecting, 205. 
Ant and the Cricket, The, 70. 
Apostrophe, 37, 50, 72, 11 5-1 17. 

Bird Room, The, 131. 
Brook's Song, The, 191. 

Capitals, 13, 15, 36, 39, 42, 71, 
75, 77, 100, 102, 274, 323- 

324. 
Clytie, 272. 
Colon, 325. 
Comma, 36, 42, 48, 142-144, 265, 

3247325- 
Comparisons, 168-171. 
Composition : 

Subjects for, 307-308. 
Conjunctions, 225. 
Definition, 227. 
Contractions, 43, 48, 50, 71-72, 
H5> "7- 



Conversation, 148-150. 
Criticisms : 

Answering, 305. 

Points of view, 305. 

Dates, 102-103. 
Days of Week, 102. 
Description, 3-7, 33-34, 151-155. 

In letters, 182. 

Of houses, 84-93. 

Of people, 171-178. 

Reading and criticising, 178. 

Testing, 183. 

To express beauty, 183. 

To make clear, 183-184. 
Dialogue, 44-47. 
Dictation, 17, 40-41, 48, 76, 

119, 150. 
Donkey and the Racehorse, The, 

SI \ 

Dramatizing, 25-26, 80-82, 103. 

Exclamation Mark, 14, 37, 324. 
Explanation : 

Studying an, 300. 

Testing an, 303. 

Writing an, 302, 307. 

Fables, 5i~59- 

Studying, 71-73, 240-246. 
Telling original, 53, 242-244, 

246-248. 
Writing original, 55, 244-247. 



329 



33o 



INDEX 



Fairy Beads, The, 44. 
Fairy Tales : 

Meaning in, 281-286. 

Truth of, 278. 
Faithless Sentinel, The, 264. 
First Voyage of Columbus, The, 

136. 
Flag Goes By, The, 186. 
Fox and the Grapes, The, 228. 
Frost Spirit, The, 284. 

General 9 s Story, The, 109. 
Grandfather s Letter, 119. 

Harmosan, 22. 

How the Chipmunk Got his 

Stripes, 267. 
Hunter and the Lion, The, 35. 
Hyphen, the, 326. 

Interjections, 229, 231-233. 

Definition, 230. 
/ Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, 
23S. 

Lamp of Truth, The, 294. 

Legend, A, 28. 

Letter Writing, 103-108, 120- 

122, I45-I47> 182, 257- 

258, 306, 315-322. 
Lie and lay, 199. 
Lion and the Mouse, The, 240. 
Lion and the Rabbit, The, 15. 

Mark Twain and the Dictionary, 

158. 
May and can, 202. 
Memorizing, 100, 1 01, 239, 257, 

287. 
Memory Gems, 28-33, 278. 
Months, the : 

Abbreviations of, 101. 
Quotations about, 96-100. 



Mountain Ash, The, 270. 
Mrs. Noah's Story, 64. 
Myths, 259. 

Definition of, 260. 

Modern, 266-269. 

Original, 269-274. 

References to, 274-278. 

Study of, 262-264, 266. 

Names, 75-76. 
Narrative, 47. 
Nouns : 

Common and proper, 156- 
159. 

Definition, 157. 

Review, 184-185. 

Paragraphs, 16, 35, 56, 132-135* 

138, 139, 148. 
Parts of Speech, 326-328. 

Review, 233. 
Period, 13, 105, 324. 
Person Addressed, 48, 75, yy. 
Picture Stories, 60-69, 123-130; 

209-216, 290-298. 
Pippas Song, 30. 
Play, writing a, 82-84. 
Poems : 

Study of, 71, 186-190, 236- 
239, 284-286. 
Possessives, 11 6-1 17. 
Prepositions, 217. 

Definition, 218. 

Misused, 221-223. 

Studying, 220. 

Use of, 224. 
Pronouns : 

Definition, 163. 

Mistakes in use of, 165. 

Most used, 164. 

Practice in use of, 166. 

Review, 184-185. 



INDEX 



33i 



Proverbs, 248. 
Application of, 253-255. 
Definition, 248-249. 
Origin of, 250-253. 
Writing, 255-257. 

Question Mark, 13, 35, 43, 324. 
Questions of a Blind Man, 171. 
Quotation Marks, 36, 55, 76-77, 
100-101, 326. 

Reviews, 184, 323-328. 

Things to Remember, 21, 
49"5°> 77> 108. 

Sailor's Story, The, 2. 
Sentence, the, 8-17, 2i ; 26-27, 
144-145. 

Combining sentences, 227— 
228. 

Exclamation, 14, 18-19. 

Question, 13, 17-18. 

Statement, 13, 17. 
Shall and will, 200. 
Simple Traveler, The, 1. 
Sit and set, 200. 
Sleeping Beauty, The, 281. 
Spilled Ink, The, 75. 
Spring Cleaning, 303. 
Stanza, 71. 

Story of Arachne, The, 262. 
Story, the : 

Dramatizing, 25-26, 80-82. 

Outline for, 13 8-1 41. 

Picture, 60-69, 123-130, 209- 
216, 290-298. 



Studying, 2-4, 23-25, 26, 
37-39, 42-43, 71-73, 75-76, 
80, in-112, 113, 118, 119, 
228, 310-312. 

Subjects for, 314—315. 

Telling, 73, 82, 93~95> 112, 
307, 309. 

To finish, 248, 287-289, 312- 

314- 
Writing, 47, 73-75, 95, 112, 

114, 115, 138,229,306,308, 

309. 

Things to Remember (Reviews), 

21, 49-50, 58, 77, 108. 
Titles, 15, 19-21, 52. 

Tit-tat-toe, 300. 

Two Merchants, The, 78. 

Verbs, 190. 

Definition, 193. 
Finding, 194-196. 
Misused, 199. 
Troublesome, 197. 
Use of, 195. 

Walter s Letter, 104. 
When I Grow Up, 112. 
Will and the Way, The, 293 . 
Wishing Bridge, The, 114. 
Wolf and the Crane, The, 58. 
Wonderful Professor, The, 42. 
Word Study, 48, 98, 152-153, 

161-163, 174, 179-181, 199- 

203, 234. 
Words in a Series, 141-143. 



SELECTIONS TO BE COMMITTED 
TO MEMORY 

PRESCRIBED FOR THE 

FIFTH AND SIXTH YEARS 

BY THE 

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF THE STATE 

OF NEW YORK 

TO ACCOMPANY 

ALDINE SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 



NEW YORK 
NEWSON & COMPANY 



Acknowledgment is made to D. Appleton & 
Company for the use of "Robert of Lincoln," 
by William Cullen Bryant; to J. B. Lippincott 
Co. for "Sheridan's Ride" by Thomas Buchanan 
Read; to H. H. Bennett for "The Flag Goes 
By"; and to Little, Brown & Co. for "October's 
Bright Blue Weather," by Helen Hunt Jackson. 
The selections from Bjornstjerne Bjornson, Oliver 
Wendell Holmes, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 
Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Ralph Waldo Emerson, 
James Russell Lowell, Nora Perry, and Frank 
Dempster Sherman, are used by permission of, and 
by special arrangement with, Houghton Mifflin 
Company, authorized publishers of their works. 

These comprise all the selections for memorizing 
named in the Regent's Syllabus except "The Blue 
Jay" and "July" by Susan Hartley Swett, for the 
use of which satisfactory arrangements could not 
be made with the present publishers. 



FIFTH GRADE 

THE BROOK 

I come from haunts of coot and hern, 

I make a sudden sally, 
And sparkle out among the fern, 

To bicker down a valley. 

By thirty hills I hurry down, 
Or slip between the ridges, 

By twenty thorps, a little town, 
And half a hundred bridges. 

Till last by Philip's farm I flow 
To join the brimming river, 

For men may come and men may go, 
But I go on forever. 

I clatter over stony ways 
In little sharps and trebles. 

I bubble into eddying bays, 
I babble on the pebbles. 

With many a curve my bank I fret 
By many a field and fallow, 

And many a fairy foreland set 
With willow-weed and mallow. 

I chatter, chatter, as I flow 
To join the brimming river; 

For men may come and men may go, 
But I go on forever. 



4 SELECTIONS 

I wind about, and in and out, 

With here a blossom sailing, 
And here and there a lusty trout, 

And here and there a grayling, 

And here and there a foamy flake 

Upon me, as I travel 
With many a silvery water-break 

Above the golden gravel, 

And draw them all along, and flow 

To join the brimming river, 
For men may come and men may go, 

But I go on forever. 

I steal by lawns and grassy plots, 

I slide by hazel covers; 
I move the sweet forget-me-nots 

That grow for happy lovers. 

I slip, I Slide, I gloom, I glance, 
Among my skimming swallows; 

I make the netted sunbeam dance 
Against my sandy shallows. 

I murmur under moon and stars 

In brambly wildernesses; 
I linger by my shingly bars, 

I loiter round my cresses; 

And out again I curve and flow 

To join the brimming river, 
For men may come and men may go, 

But I go on forever. 

Alfred, Lord Tennyson 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 



ROBERT OF LINCOLN 1 

Merrily swinging on brier and weed, 

Near to the nest of his little dame, 
Over the mountain-side or mead, 

Robert of Lincoln is telling his name: 
"Bob-oMink, bob-oMink, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
Snug and safe is that nest of ours, 
Hidden among the summer flowers. 
Chee, chee, chee." 

Robert of Lincoln is gayly dressed, 

Wearing a bright black wedding-coat; 
White are his shoulders and white his crest. 
Hear him call in his merry note: 
"Bob-oMink, bob-oMink, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
Look, what a nice new coat is mine, 
Sure there was never a bird so fine. 
Chee, chee, chee." 

Robert of Lincoln's Quaker wife, 

Pretty and quiet, with plain brown wings, 
Passing at home a patient life, 

Broods in the grass while her husband sings: 
"Bob-oMink, bob-oMink, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
Brood, kind creature; you need not fear 
Thieves and robbers while I am here. 
Chee, chee, chee." 

1 From Bryant's "Poems." Copyright by D. Appleton & Company. 
Reprinted by permission of the publishers. 



SELECTIONS 

Modest and shy as a nun is she; 

One weak chirp is her only note. 
Braggart and prince of braggarts is he, 
Pouring boasts from his little throat: 
"Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
Never was I afraid of man; 
Catch me, cowardly knaves, if you can! 
Chee, chee, chee." 

Six white eggs on a bed of hay, 

Flecked with purple, a pretty sight! 
There as the mother sits all day, 
Robert is singing with all his might: 
"Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
Nice good wife, that never goes out, 
Keeping house while I frolic about. 
Chee, chee, chee." 

Soon as the little ones chip the shell, 
Six wide mouths are open for food; 
Robert of Lincoln bestirs him well, 
Gathering seeds for the hungry brood. 
"Bob-o'-link, bob-o'-link, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
This new life is likely to be 
Hard for a gay young fellow like me. 
Chee, chee, chee." 

Robert of Lincoln at length is made 
Sober with work, and silent with care; 

Off is his holiday garment laid, 
Half forgotten that merry air: 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 

"Bob-oMink, bob-oMink, 

Spink, spank, spink; 
Nobody knows but my mate and I 
Where our nest and our nestlings lie. 
Chee, chee, chee." 

Summer wanes; the children are grown; 

Fun and frolic no mo're he knows; 
Robert of Lincoln's a humdrum crone; 
Off he flies, and we sing as he goes: 
"Bob-oMink, bob-oMink, 
Spink, spank, spink; 
When you can pipe that merry old strain, 
Robert of Lincoln, come back again. 
Chee, chee, chee." 

William Cullen Bryant 



THE TREE 1 

The Tree's early leaf-buds were bursting their brown: 
"Shall I take them away?" said the Frost, sweeping down. 

"No, leave them alone 

Till the blossoms have grown," 
Prayed the Tree, while he trembled from rootlet to crown. 

The Tree bore his blossoms, and all the birds sung: 
"Shall I take them away?" said the Wind as he swung. 

"No, leave them alone 

Till the berries have grown," 
Said the Tree, while his leaflets quivering hung. 

The Tree bore his fruit in the midsummer glow: 
Said the girl, "May I gather thy berries or no?" 

1 From "Arne." By permission of Houghton Mifflin Company. 



8 SELECTIONS 

"Yes, all thou canst see, — 
Take them; all are for thee," 
Said the Tree, while he bent down his laden boughs low. 

BjORNSTJERNE BjORNSON 

TO-DAY 

So here hath been dawning 

Another blue day; 
Think, wilt thou let it 

Slip useless away? 

Out of Eternity 

This new day is born; 
Into Eternity, 

At night, will return. 

Behold it aforetime 

No eye ever did; 
So soon it forever 

From all eyes is hid. 

Here hath been dawning 

Another blue day; 
Think, wilt thou let it 

Slip useless away? 

Thomas Carlyle 



OLD IRONSIDES 

Ay, tear her tattered ensign down! 

Long has it waved on high, 
And many an eye has danced to see 

That banner in the sky; 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 9 

Beneath it rung the battle shout, 

And burst the cannon's roar; — 
The meteor of the ocean air 

Shall sweep the clouds no more. 

Her deck, once red with heroes' blood, 

Where knelt the vanquished foe, 
When winds were hurrying o'er the flood, 

And waves were white below, 
No more shall feel the victor's tread, 

Or know the conquered knee; — 
The harpies of the shore shall pluck 

The eagle of the sea! 

Oh, better that her shattered hulk 

Should sink beneath the wave; 
Her thunders shook the mighty deep, 

And there should be her grave; 
Nail to the mast her holy flag, 

Set every threadbare sail, 
And give her to the god of storms, 
The lightning and the gale! 

Oliver Wendell Holmes 

OCTOBER'S BRIGHT BLUE WEATHER 1 

O suns and skies and clouds of June, 

And flowers of June together, 
Ye cannot rival for one hour 

October's bright blue weather, 

When loud the bumblebee makes haste, 

Belated, thriftless vagrant, 
And golden-rod is dying fast, 

And lanes with grapes are fragrant; 

1 From " Poems " by Helen Hunt Jackson. Copyright, 1873, by Little, 
Brown & Company. 



io SELECTIONS 

When gentians roll their fringes tight 

To save them for the morning, 
And chestnuts fall from satin burrs 

Without a sound of warning; 

When on the ground red apples lie 

In piles like jewels shining, 
And redder still on old stone walls 

Are leaves of woodbine twining; 

When all the lovely wayside things 
Their white-winged seeds are sowing, 

And in the fields, still green and fair, 
Late aftermaths are growing; 

When springs run low, and on the brooks, 

In idle golden freighting, 
Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush 

Of woods, for winter waiting; 

When comrades seek sweet country haunts, 

By twos and twos together, 
And count like misers, hour by hour, 

October's bright blue weather. 

O sun and skies and flowers of June, 

Count all your boasts together, 
Love loveth best of all the year 

October's bright blue weather. 

Helen Hunt Jackson 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK n 

THE SHIP OF STATE 1 

Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State! 

Sail on, O Union, strong and great! 

Humanity with all its fears, 

With all the hopes of future years, 

Is hanging breathless on thy fate! 

We know what Master laid thy keel, 

What Workmen wrought thy ribs of steel, 

Who made each mast, and sail, and rope, 

What anvils rang, what hammers beat, 

In what a forge and what a heat 

Were shaped the anchors of thy hope! 

Fear not each sudden sound and shock, 

'Tis of the wave and not the rock; 

'Tis but the flapping of the sail, 

And not a rent made by the gale! 

In spite of rock and tempest's roar, 

In spite of false lights on the shore, 

Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea! 

Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee, 

Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears, 

Our faith triumphant o'er our fears, 

Are all with thee, — are all with thee! 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 



THE BUILDERS 

All are architects of Fate, 

Working in these walls of Time; 

Some with massive deeds and great, 
Some with ornaments of ryhme. 

1 From "The Building of the Ship." 



12 SELECTIONS 

Nothing useless is, or low; 

Each thing in its place is best; 
And what seems but idle show 

Strengthens and supports the rest. 

For the structure that we raise, 
Time is with materials filled; 

Our to-days and yesterdays 

Are the blocks with which we build. 

Truly shape and fashion these; 

Leave no yawning gaps between; 
Think not because no man sees, 

Such things will remain unseen. 

In the elder days of art, 

Builders wrought with greatest care 
Each minute and unseen part; 

For the gods see everywhere. 

Let us do our work as well, 
Both the unseen and the seen; 

Make the house, where gods may dwell, 
Beautiful, entire, and clean. 

Else our lives are incomplete, 
Standing in these walls of Time, 

Broken stairways, where the feet 
Stumble as they seek to climb. 

Build to-day, then, strong and sure, 
With a firm and ample base; 

And ascending and secure 

Shall to-morrow find its place. 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 13 

Thus alone can we attain 

To those turrets where the eye 
Sees the world as one vast plain, 

And one boundless reach of sky. 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 



HOME SWEET HOME 

'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, 
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home! 
A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there, 
Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere! 
Home, home! sweet, sweet home! 

There's no place like home! 

There's no place like home! 

An exile from home, splendor dazzles in vain. 
Oh, give me my lowly thatch'd cottage again! 
The birds singing gayly, that came at my call, — 
Give me them, — and the peace of mind dearer than all! 
Home, home! sweet, sweet, home! 

There's no place like home! 

There's no place like home! 

John Howard Payne 



WARREN'S ADDRESS TO THE AMERICAN 

SOLDIERS 

Stand! the ground's your own, my braves! 
Will ye give it up to slaves? 
Will ye look for greener graves? 

Hope ye mercy still? 
What's the mercy despots feel? 



i 4 SELECTIONS 

Hear it in that battle-peal! 
Read it on yon bristling steel! 
Ask it, — ye who will. 

Fear ye foes who kill for hire? 
Will ye to your homes retire? 
Look behind you! they're afire! 

And, before you, see 
Who have done it! — From the vale 
On they come! — And will ye quail? — 
Leaden rain and iron hail 

Let their welcome be! 

In the God of battles trust! 

Die we may, — and die we must; — 

But, O, where can dust to dust 

Be consigned so well, 
As where Heaven its dews shall shed 
On the martyred patriot's bed, 
And the rocks shall raise their head, 

Of his deeds to tell! 

John Pierpont 

LULLABY FOR TITANIA 

FIRST FAIRY 

You spotted snakes with double tongue, 
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen; 

Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong, 
Come not near our fairy queen. 

CHORUS 

Philomel, with melody 
Sing in our sweet lullaby: 
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby! 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 15 

Never harm, 

Nor spell, nor charm, 
Come our lovely lady nigh. 
So good night, with lullaby. 

FIRST FAIRY 

Weaving spiders, come not here; 

Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence! 
Beetles black, approach not near; 

Worm nor snail, do no offence. 

CHORUS 

Philomel, with melody 
Sing in our sweet lullaby: 
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby! 

Never harm, 

Nor spell, nor charm, 
Come our lovely lady nigh. 
So good night, with lullaby. 

SECOND FAIRY 

Hence, away! now all is well. 
One aloof stand sentinel! 

William Shakspere, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" 



SIXTH YEAR 

BEFORE THE RAIN 

We knew it would rain, for all the morn, 
A spirit on slender ropes of mist 

Was lowering its golden buckets down 
Into the vapory amethyst 



16 SELECTIONS 

Of marshes and swamps and dismal fens, — 
Scooping the dew that lay in the flowers, 

Dipping the jewels out of the sea, 

To sprinkle them over the land in showers. 

We knew it would rain, for the poplars showed 
The white of their leaves, the amber grain 

Shrunk in the wind, — and the lightning now 
Is tangled in tremulous skeins of rain! 

Thomas Bailey Aldrich 



THE FLAG GOES BY 1 

Hats off! 
Along the street there comes 
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, 
A flash of color beneath the sky: 

Hats off! 
The flag is passing by. 

Blue and crimson and white it shines, 
Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines. 

Hats off! 
The colors before us fly; 
But more than the flag is passing by. 

Sea-fights and land-fights, grim and great, 
Fought to make and to save the State: 
Weary marches and sinking ships; 
Cheers of victory on dying lips; 

Days of plenty and years of peace; 
March of a strong land^s swift increase; 

1 By special arrangement with the author. 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 17 

Equal justice, right, and law, 
Stately honor and reverend awe; 

Sign of a nation, great and strong 
To ward her people from foreign wrong; 
Pride and glory and honor, — all 
Live in the colors to stand or fall. 

Hats off! 
Along the street there comes 
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums; 
And loyal hearts are beating high: 

Hats off! 
The flag is passing by! 

Henry Holcomb Bennett 

THE YEAR'S AT THE SPRING 

The year's at the spring 
And day's at the morn; 
Morning's at seven; 
The hillside's dew-pearled; 
The lark's on the wing; 
The snail's on the thorn: 
God's in his heaven — 
All's right with the world. 

Robert Browning 

CONCORD HYMN 
(sung at the completion of the battle monument, 

APRIL 19, 1836) 

By the rude bridge that arched the flood, 

Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, 
Here once the embattled farmers stood, 

And fired the shot heard round the world. 



1 8 SELECTIONS 

The foe long since in silence slept; 

Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; 
And Time the ruined bridge has swept 

Down the dark stream which seaward creeps. 

On this green bank, by this soft stream, 

We set to-day a votive stone; 
That memory may their deed redeem, 

When, like our sires, our sons are gone. 

Spirit, that made those heroes dare 
To die, and leave their children free, 

Bid Time and Nature gently spare 
The shaft we raise to them and thee. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson 



THE FIRST SNOW-FALL 

The snow had begun in the gloaming, 

And busily all the night 
Had been heaping field and highway 

With a silence deep and white. 

Every pine and fir and hemlock 
Wore ermine too dear for an earl, 

And the poorest twig on the elm-tree 
Was ridged inch deep with pearl. 

From sheds new-roofed with Carrara 
Came Chanticleer's muffled crow, 

The stiff rails softened to swan's-down 
And still fluttered down the snow. 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 19 

I stood and watched by the window 

The noiseless work of the sky, 
And the sudden flurries of snow-birds, 

Like brown leaves whirling by. 

I thought of a mound in sweet Auburn 

Where a little headstone stood; 
How the flakes were folding it gently 

As did robins the babes in the wood. 

Up spoke our own little Mabel, 

Saying, ''Father, who makes it snow?" 

And I told of the good All-father 
Who cares for us here below. 

Again I looked at the snow-fall, 

And thought of the leaden sky * 

That arched o'er our first great sorrow, 
When that mound was heaped so high. 

I remembered the gradual patience 

That fell from that cloud like snow, 
Flake by flake, healing and hiding 

The scar that renewed our woe. 

And again to the child I whispered, 

"The snow that husheth all, 
Darling, the merciful Father 

Alone can make it fall!" 

Then, with eyes that saw not, I kissed her; 

And she, kissing back, could not know 
That my kiss was given to her sister, 

Folded close under deepening snow. 

James Russell Lowell 



2o SELECTIONS 



THE COMING OF THE SPRING 1 

There's something in the air 
That's new and sweet and rare — 
A scent of summer things, 
A whir as if of wings. 

There's something too that's new 
In the color of the blue 
That's in the morning sky, 
Before the sun is high. 

And though on plain and hill 
'Tis winter, winter still, 
There's something seems to say 
That winter's had its day. 

And all is changing tint, 
This whispering stir and hint 
Of bud and bloom and wing, 
Is the coming of the spring. 

And to-morrow or to-day 
The brooks will break away 
From their icy, frozen sleep, 
And run and laugh and leap. 

And the next thing, in the woods, 
The catkins in their hoods 
Of fir and silk will stand, 
A sturdy little band. 

1 Copyright by Little, Brown & Company. 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 21 

And the tassels soft and fine 
Of the hazel will untwine, 
And the elder branches show 
Their buds against the snow. 

So, silently but swift, 
Above the wintry drift, 
The long days gain and gain, 
Until, on hill and plain, 

Once more, and yet once more 
Returning as before, 
We see the bloom of birth 
Make young again the earth. 



Nora Perry 



SHERIDAN'S RIDE 



Up from the south at break of day, 

Bringing to Winchester fresh dismay, 
The affrighted air with a shudder bore, 
Like a herald in haste, to the chieftain's door, 
The terrible grumble, and rumble, and roar, 
Telling the battle was on once more, 

And Sheridan twenty miles away. 

And wider still those billows of war 

Thundered along the horizon's bar; 

And louder yet into Winchester rolled 

The roar of that red sea uncontrolled, 

Making the blood of the listener cold, 

As he thought of the stake in that fiery fray, 

With Sheridan twenty miles away. 

1 From "The Poetical Works of Thomas Buchanan Read." By per- 
mission, of the publishers, J. B. Lippincott Company. 



22 SELECTIONS 

But there is a road from Winchester town, 

A good broad highway leading down; 

And there, through the flush of the morning light, 

A steed as black as the steeds of night 

Was seen to pass, as with eagle flight, 

As if he knew the terrible need; 

He stretched away with his utmost speed; 

Hills rose and fell; but his heart was gay, 

With Sheridan fifteen miles away. 

Still sprung from those swift hoofs, thundering south, 

The dust, like smoke from the cannon's mouth; 

Or the trail of a comet, sweeping faster and faster, 

Foreboding to traitors the doom of disaster. 

The heart of the steed and the heart of the master 

Were beating like prisoners assaulting their walls, 

Impatient to be where the battlefield calls; 

Every nerve of the charger was strained to full play, 

With Sheridan only ten miles away. 

Under his spurning feet the road 

Like an arrowy Alpine river flowed, 

And the landscape sped away behind 

Like an ocean flying before the wind, 

And the steed, like a bark fed with furnace ire, 

Swept on, with his wild eyes full of fire. 

But lo! he is nearing his heart's desire; 

He is snuffing the smoke of the roaring fray, 

With Sheridan only five miles away. 

The first that the general saw were the groups 

Of stragglers, and then the retreating troops. 

What was done? what to do? A glance told him both; 

Then, striking his spurs, with a terrible oath, 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 23 

He dashed down the line, 'mid a storm of huzzas, 

And the wave of retreat checked its course there, because 

The sight of the master compelled it to pause. 

With foam and with dust the black charger was gray; 

By the flash of his eye, and the red nostril's play, 

He seemed to the whole great army to say, 

"I have brought you Sheridan all the way 

From Winchester, down to save the day!" 

Hurrah! hurrah for Sheridan! 

Hurrah! hurrah for horse and man! 

And when their statues are placed on high, 

Under the dome of the Union sky, — 

The American soldier's Temple of Fame, — 

There with the glorious general's name, 

Be it said, in letters both bold and bright, 

"Here is the steed that saved the day, 
By carrying Sheridan into the fight 

From Winchester, twenty miles away!" 

Thomas Buchanan Read 

PUCK AND THE FAIRY 

Puck. How now, spirit! whither wander you? 
Fairy. Over hill, over dale, 

Thorough bush, thorough brier, 
Over park, over pale, 

Thorough flood, thorough fire, 
I do wander everywhere, 
Swifter than the moon's sphere; 
And I serve the Fairy Queen, 
To dew her orbs upon the green. 
The cowslips tall her pensioners be: 
In their gold coats spots you see; 



24 SELECTIONS 

Those be rubies, fairy favors, 

In those freckles live their savors. 

I must go seek some dewdrops here, 

And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear. 

Farewell, thou lob of spirits, I'll be gone. 

Our Queen and all her elves come here anon. 

William Shakspere, "A Midsummer Night's Dream " 



MERCY 

The quality of mercy is not strain'd: 

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven 

Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: 

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. 

'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes 

The throned monarch better than his crown: 

His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, 

The attribute to awe and majesty, 

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; 

But mercy is above this sceptred sway, 

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings; 

It is an attribute to God himself, 

And earthly power doth then show likest God's 

When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew, 

Though justice be thy plea, consider this, 

That, in the course of justice, none of us 

Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy, 

And that same prayer doth teach us all to render 

The deeds of mercy. 

William Shakspere, "The Merchant of Venice 1 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 25 



MAY 1 

May shall make the world anew; 
Golden sun and silver dew, 
Money minted in the sky, 
Shall the earth's new garments buy. 
May shall make the orchards bloom; 
And the blossoms' fine perfume 
Shall set all the honey-bees 
Murmuring among the trees. 
May shall make the bud appear 
Like a jewel, crystal clear, 
'Mid the leaves upon the limb 
Where the robin lilts his hymn. 
May shall make the wild flowers tell 
Where the shining snowflakes fell, 
Just as though each snowflake's heart, 
By some secret, magic art, 
Were transmuted to a flower 
In the sunlight and the shower. 
Is there such another, pray, 
Wonder-making month as May? 

Frank Dempster Sherman 



THE BURIAL OF SIR JOHN MOORE 

Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note, 
As his corse to the rampart we hurried; 

Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot 
O'er the grave where our hero we buried. 

1 From "Little-Folk Lyrics." By permission of Houghton Mifflin 
Company. 



26 SELECTIONS 

We buried him darkly, at dead of night, 

The sods with our bayonets turning; 
By the struggling moonbeam's misty light, 

And the lantern dimly burning. 

No useless coffin enclosed his breast, 

Not in sheet or in shroud we wound him; 

But he lay like a warrior taking his rest, 
With his martial cloak around him. 

Few and short were the prayers we said, 

And we spoke not a word of sorrow; 
But we steadfastly gazed on the face that was dead, 

And we bitterly thought of the morrow: 

We thought as we hollowed his narrow bed, 

And smoothed down his lonely pillow, 
That the foe and the stranger would tread o'er his head, 

And we far away on the billow! 

Lightly they '11 talk of the spirit that 's gone, 
And o'er his cold ashes upbraid him, — 

But little he '11 reck, if they let him sleep on 
In the grave where a Briton has laid him. 

But half of our heavy task was done 

When the clock struck the hour for retiring; 

And we heard the distant and random gun 
That the foe was sullenly firing. 

Slowly and sadly we laid him down, 

From the field of his fame fresh and gory; 

We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone — 
But we left him alone with his glory! 

Charles Wolfe 



SECOND LANGUAGE BOOK 27 



FIFTH YEAR 

The Brook. Alfred, Lord Tennyson 3 

Robert of Lincoln. William Cullen Bryant 5 

The Tree. Bjornstjerne Bjornson 7 

To-Day. Thomas Carlyle 8 

Old Ironsides. Oliver Wendell Holmes 8 

October's Bright Blue Weather. Helen Hunt Jackson 9 

The Ship of State. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1 1 

The Builders. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 11 

Home, Sweet Home. John Howard Payne 13 

Warren's Address to the American Soldiers. John Pierpont 13 

Lullaby for Titania. William Shakspere 14 

SIXTH YEAR 

Before the Rain. Thomas Bailey Aldrich 15 

The Flag Goes By. Henry Holcomb Bennett 16 

The Year's at the Spring. Robert Browning 17 

Concord Hymn. Ralph Waldo Emerson 17 

The First Snow-Fall. James Russell Lowell 18 

The Coming of the Spring. Nora Perry 20 

Sheridan's Ride. Thomas Buchanan Read 21 

Puck and the Fairy. William Shakspere 23 

Mercy. William Shakspere . 24 

May. Frank Dempster Sherman 25 

The Burial of Sir John Moore. Charles Wolfe 25 



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